A Walk in Andante
by facades and stars
Summary: (KH1) Just look up at the stars, and know that somewhere I'm looking up too, and that way I'll always be with you. (RikuXOC)(SoXKai)
1. Dearly Beloved

**Summary:** After crash landing on Destiny Islands as a young girl, Ami grows up yearning to learn of the truth and a life other than the small isle she is kept on. They always say the truth will set you free, but is a past filled with darkness the truth she expected?

* * *

Dearly Beloved  


**"Entrust your body to the soothing waves of your memories, Ami."**

I frowned, reading the message one last time before closing the heart-shaped locket dangling around my neck. With a quiet 'chink', I ripped the locket off in frustration and tossed it behind me. My heart plummeted into my stomach at the sound of it hitting the coarse sand. Regretting my decision I turned around to pick it back up, this was the only item I had from my past. But if I didn't know my past, should I even bother keeping it? Riku, Kairi and Sora keep telling me that if I continue to read it, maybe something will come back to me. But that was five years and ago and here I am, still reading the same sentence haunting me since I can remember at all.

It was five years ago when I first arrived here on this island. Five years ago when I was found by Kairi. I closed my eyes and laid back in the sand, allowing my earliest memory to resurface and replay, just as it has done in my head everyday.

_"Mayor, look!" An inquisitive, auburn haired girl shouted as she saw the smoke rise up from the crash site. It was a pretty normal day at Destiny Islands, the sun was shining and the water warm. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, not until a strange, square-esque looking space ship came plummeting from the sky and crashed into the shallow water. _

_"Let us hurry to help, and pray that everyone's alright." The young girl quickly sprinted ahead of the mayor, running towards the debris that was blowing around in the wind. "__Careful!" The old man called in worry as he caught up to the spirited girl. They soon saw the full devastation when they reached the scene. _

_"Maybe you should head back and find help child." The mayor said, not wanting her to see the horror laid out before them by her innocent, blue eyes._

_But the young girl was too distracted to hear his warnings when her eyes saw the frail figure that laid under a shield for protection. She quickly started to try to lift the shield that was much to heavy for her in order to free the figure. Finally, the mayors' guards appeared to the scene to assist. As they lifted the shield, the young rescuer started to climb under and reach out her hand. She was surprised when the hand she grabbed belonged to that of a small girl, roughly the same age as her, looking at her with large, hazel eyes. Even when the guards lifted the shield, the auburn haired girl found herself not letting go of the figure's hand. Watching her with great intensity, she saw the small survivor let out a shallow breath. _

_"She's alive!" The girl cried out, still grasping the hand laid out before her. __"You're going to be okay." She spoke in a reassuring voice. __"My name is Kairi and I am going to protect you!" She promised bravely._

"For a minute there, I thought this was Sora here snoozing on the beach. Leaving all the work for the rest of us." I groggily wiped my eyes and looked up to see a muscular, silver haired teen standing behind me. I waved my hand at Riku's sarcastic comment and laid my head back down closing my eyes.

_"Is she going to make it?!" Kairi cried to the mayor as they waited in the hospital room. Worry was written all over her small, pixie like features. The mayor patted her head, worry written on his face as well. _

_"I do hope so, Kairi." He whispered. The small girl was the only one recovered from the crash, other than her the space ship had been empty. There was nothing but odd block like parts of the ship and the metallic shield that lay over her. _

_"Can we adopt her too?" Kairi asked pulling the mayor from his thoughts. She tugged on his arm and asked again. "Can we adopt her like you adopted me?" Kairi too was found on the island, appearing one day in a mysterious manner. The mayor smiled softly, noticing the bond already created between the two young girls. _

_"Yes Kairi, I believe that we can." Kairi exuberantly jumped for joy at the thought of a new friend, and also a sister. "But you're going to have to share your room now you know." The mayor joked. Kairi stood and stared at the mayor. _

_"That's alright I don't mind at all!" She quickly yelled as the mayor laughed lovingly. _

_"Now then," The mayor began. "What are we going to call her? I wonder if she will recall her name." _

_Kairi looked up at him smiling, pulling out a heart shaped necklace from her pocket. _

_"I found this in her hand," She said as she handed it over. "It says -"_

"Ami! Rise and shine!" I heard Riku's soft chuckle and felt the sand beneath me vibrate as he moved closer. Then felt cool water being splashed at my legs.

"Ack!" I lurched up to see Riku standing in front of me ankle deep in the ocean, a smug look plastered to his face and a tiny bucket in his hands.

"Welcome back, Ami. Now if you don't mind, there's fish to be caught for the raft." He said, 'as a matter of factly' while crossing his arms over his chest. I looked up at him and sighed, shaking my head. I saw the sunlight surround Riku, illuminating his strong figure and shinning off of his silver hair.

The sun was high in the sky radiating us with light as the ocean breeze covered us with cool, crisp air. I stood up and wiped off my large black capris and rolled them up to my ankles, stepping into the ocean. I tightened the three gray belts around my waist. As I pulled back my wavy, brunette hair I felt the sun shine on my shoulders. I figured I'd keep my red jacket on the beach, leaving me in a grey beater. I left my black and white sneakers by the water as the tide reached my toes.

"I'm pretty sure there won't be any fish...after you scare them all away." I sauntered over to Riku, plotting my revenge after his 'wake up' call. He raised his eyebrows as I approached.

"What do you mea- augh!" I threw my hands up from the water as quickly as I could in the direction of my victim. The sound of my laughing was louder than the sound of splashing as Riku fell back in the water. I would have basked in the satisfaction of revenge if I hadn't seen the pout dawned upon Riku's lips when he re-surfaced.

I watched as he put a hand through his now damp hair and brushed it back, then extended it out for me to grab to hoist him back up out of the water. As I grabbed his hand I realized the mistake I had made. As Riku pulled me down with him, our laughter and yells had been drowned out by the ocean. Under the water our eyes locked, I stuck out my tongue as Riku smirked. When we resurfaced he pulled me up and we looked to the horizon.

"Even?" We said to each other, chuckling softly. If this was what my locket meant by 'entrusting the soothing waves of my memories', then they were the only memories worth keeping.

We looked to the shore when we heard voices calling to us. _When did we get so far from the shoreline? _

"Riku! Ami!" A pair of teens were waving from the beach. I made out the figures of a brunette with his arms behind his head and a petite, auburn haired girl with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Hey Sora! Hey Kairi!" I called back cheerfully to them as we swam back to the shore.

When we got back to the beach and started to dry off I saw Kairi looking back and forth between Riku and I and smiling. _What's that all about? _I made a mental note to ask her later.

"You mean to tell me you two have just been out playing in the sun all afternoon?" She jokingly pointed to the two of us. I blushed as Riku scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Now this I expected from Ami and Sora, but you Riku?" Kairi teased while crossing her arms, to which Sora and I responded with 'Hey!'

It was true, out of the four of us, Kairi and Riku seemed to be the most responsible. Which was a blessing to even out mine and Sora's immaturity. But the four of us fit together like an inseparable puzzle; our own little family.

"Well, now that all the fish are scared off," Kairi continued while shaking her head and motioning towards the empty, vast ocean in front of them. "What else is left to collect for the raft?"

I put a finger to my lips and began to think. "Well we still need fresh water, mushrooms and some logs?" I suggested as we looked at each other trying to divvy up the tasks.

Sora yawned and planted himself on the sand. "I'll stay here and wait for the fish to come back." He volunteered.

_We're never getting those fish. _I laughed to myself. "While Sora's taking a nap, I volunteer to get the mushrooms." I raised my hand.

Looking between Riku and Kairi it seemed to already be decided who would be finding logs and fresh water.

I sat down next to Sora at the beach while Kairi and Riku split up to find the rest of the supplies for the raft.

"Meet at the paopu tree in a few hours okay?" Kairi called to us, we all waved in agreement and I noticed that the sun was still high in the sky.

xxx

Sitting on the beach I waved to Wakka and Tidus as they threw a blue, striped ball back and forth. I think they were playing something called 'blitzball', but I could never make sense of the game. I noticed Selphie make a necklace from sea shells and watching them play as well. Seeing them at the beach made me realize something, I never thought about having to say goodbye to them. Sure, we would eventually come home, I hoped, but how long was our journey going to take? And what about our parents too? Would we say farewell to them? What if they forced us to abandon our adventure for fear of us getting into danger?

The sound of Sora's soft snoring pulled me from my thoughts. I forced myself to not think about it anymore, and to look for the supplies.

_We'll be home before we know it...at least, I hope._

I figured the best place to start looking for mushrooms was the secret place, I'm sure there had to be some mushrooms growing in that small cave. I noticed that I hadn't been there in a very long time. It was mostly Sora and Riku that came into this place, to draw on the walls or fight 'monsters' lurking in the shadows. Truth be told, I always had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach when I was ever near the secret place. I stood by the small waterfall and looked down into the dark opening in front of me. I gulped.

_Come on, Ami, snap out of it. You're fifteen years old for crying out loud, it's only a cave! _I repeated this in my head as I walked down and ran my hands along the cold, damp walls. When I got to the back of the cave I looked around, it was much smaller than I remembered. I sighed in relief, realizing the cave had seemed so large and scary because I was so small and young.

"See," I began aloud. "Nothing to be afraid of." I scanned the room for mushrooms and realized the Sora and Riku had completely covered the walls in drawings. I smiled warmly, analyzing all their childhood artwork, but a blush grew across my face when my eyes landed on a certain carving of Sora and Kairi faces looking at each other.

I smiled lightly thinking about all the times Sora and Riku would race to decide who would share a paopu fruit with her. Kairi would keep me up at night telling me how she'd root for both of them, of course, but her features always brightened when Sora won. The competitiveness between both boys growing after each race. Tracing my fingers over the carving I remembered the old legend surrounding the star shaped fruit. _If two people share one...their destines become intertwined, they become a part of each others lives, no matter what. _ I crossed my arms and my smile grew. Seeing them together every day, I just knew they had feelings for each other, even if they didn't want to admit it. And even if we weren't really related, I would always consider Kairi my sister, and Sora one of my best friends. It just felt so natural to grow closer and closer to them, but I noticed that out of all of us they had been growing the closest all along.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I felt a cold chill run up my spine, taking all my happy thoughts with it. I turned to my left and noticed that the chill in the air was coming from the giant door in the wall...wait, giant door?

I had to take a double take. _When did that get there? _I scratched the back of my head. _Had that always been there? _

I shuddered, suddenly feeling extremely cold and hugged myself.

**"Prepare. For the journey is about to begin." **

"Hello?" I called out. _Did someone say something? _"Riku, if this a joke it's not funny!" I yelled as I swear a figure appeared in the corner of my eye.

**"Entrust your b****ody to the soothing waves of the darkness, Ami." **

I heard the shrill laughter of a deep voice. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. I grabbed my necklace as I felt tears run down my face. I turned my head slowly to see dark tendrils seeping through the door, heading straight towards me. I watched the darkness wrap around my legs, I tried to move, to run, anything, but I could barely even wiggle my toes.

As the secret place grew darker and darker I waved my arms attempting to fan the darkness away, but I was completely unsuccessful. Pretty soon I felt sleepy and I closed my eyes and fell to the floor. The funny thing was though, I waited for impact but it never came. I found myself falling through the darkness. Opening my eyes I found that I was no longer in the secret place at all, but falling slowly towards a stained glass platform beneath me. The closer and closer I got the more clear the images on the glass were, an image of my friends in each oval.

"Sora...Kairi...Riku." I whispered as my feet hit the platform and I looked around at her surroundings, taking it all in. "Nothing, but darkness."

**There is never only darkness. Just as there is never only light. In this place, there is both light and dark. Coexisting. Remember that. **

Startled at the voice, I looked around. "H-Hello?" I called out. This was way too freaky. A bright light began glowing in the middle of the platform and I felt myself being pulled towards it, the same way I felt pulled towards the door. When the light began to fade it revealed my shield floating there, waiting for me to grab it. The painful memory brought tears to my eyes.

"Why?" Why now? And how did my shield get here? They mayor kept it locked up tight at the mansion. What was going on? I had so many questions, and I felt that none of them were going to be answered anytime soon.

**There will times when you will have to defend yourself. **

Defend myself? From what? I almost regretted asking as I grabbed the shield and noticed something strapped to the inside. A silver sword with a golden handle.

**And times you will have to fight. **

"What is going on?" I cried aloud, not understanding what was happening as black figures slowly arose from pools of darkness. In fear, I began to back up. When there was no where else left to go, I held the shield in front of me for protection. I didn't mind fighting, I even spared with Sora and Riku from time to time, but these creatures were much more different, much more real.

_It's only a dream, it's only a dream. _I repeated in my head. _This isn't real. _

As if hearing my thoughts, the creatures stared at me with their yellow eyes and lunged. Just as I pushed my shield forward one of the creatures had sunk into the ground, as it popped back up under my shield it scratched at my stomach. Their claws burned, and I had never experienced a pain quite like it before.

"Augh!" I screamed in pain, almost falling off of the platform. _No, _I arrived at a terrifying conclusion, _this is real. _

I quickly pulled the sword from it's strap and hacked away at the creatures. Using sparring techniques I learned from Sora and Riku, it felt quite natural fighting them. After defeating them I looked around, on my guard and cautious of more creatures appearing.

**You fight well, good. You'll need to fight in order to survive. For this is only the beginning. **

_Why do I not like the sound of that?_ A wooden, painted door appeared in front of me. _The same one from the secret place! _The light radiating from it felt warm. And I was drawn towards it as the light around it grew brighter and brighter. But the closer I got, I noticed my shadow grew darker. A pool of darkness formed underneath me and just as I grabbed the handle of the door with one hand I found myself being pulled by the darkness.

"No!" I called out, struggling to hold onto the door for dear life.

**Remember the balance between light and dark. **

_Balance?! I'm about to be swallowed by the darkness! _I cried in horror as my hand was slipping from the door and dark tendrils wrapped around my leg. _Please, someone, anyone, help me. _I felt overwhelmed and faint. Just as the darkness reached my waist, the door swung open. I saw a hand being held out to me and a glimpse of silver hair._ Riku? _I thought. _Should I grab hold?_ I tried to reach but felt my hand slip from the door and I plunged into darkness. Before it all went dark, I felt a hand grab onto mine holding it tightly.

**Remember to entrust your memories. **

**This is where it all begins. **

I held my breath and closed my eyes as it all went dark. But never let go of the hand grasping mine.

I was plunged back to reality when I heard a voice call out to me. At least, I hope it was reality.

"Ami?!" The concern in the voice calling to me was what snapped me out of my trance as I turned my head and found myself lying on the floor of the secret place.

"Riku?" I called out. I don't know why I would call to him. But I was surprised to see Sora running into the cave. He was panting, trying to catch his breath at the doorway, his eyes were full of concern.

"Are you alright? I heard you yell from the beach." He gasped. _I had yelled? Loud enough for him to hear? _

_Do you not see the room covered in this dark smog? _I thought as I turned back to look at the door. I gasped at what I saw.

There was only a door. No darkness seeping through; no strange figure. Just the door and an empty cave, well besides me and Sora that is. Speaking of Sora...

"Ami?" I felt his hands gripping my shoulders and lifting me up. I finally met his eyes and felt tears well up in mine until I couldn't even make out the oceanic blue of his. Sora tried to console me and ask to explain what had happen, but how was I supposed to talk about what I had just witnessed? I didn't even know for sure what it was that I saw.

Sora looked over at the door, and then back at me.

"Ami, did you...have a strange dream? Or see someone else down here? Someone, who...we've never seen before?" When I looked Sora in the eyes we both knew the answer to that question.

"I did too." Sora confessed. He experienced this as well? Why hasn't he said anything before? Just as I was about to ask for him to explain, I heard footsteps rush down the cave hall.

"Hey, Riku said he saw you head down here Sora. Have you seen Ami? I'm worried about her. It's way passed the time we were supposed to meet." Kairi stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Sora and I. She looked us up and down. "Oh." She exclaimed. I saw her expression go quickly from concern to confusion. I could feel the hurt in my heart looking at her. As she turned on her heels and ran out, I called after her.

"No! Kairi, it's not what it looks like!" She had the wrong idea, but left me no time to explain. I slumped my shoulders in defeat. More worried about Kairi's feeling than what had just happened involving the strange door.

I looked over at Sora who had confusion written all over his face. _Clueless b__oy, _I thought to myself. "You don't get it do you?" I whispered, pointing over at the drawing at my feet. Sora blushed, seeming to hope I hadn't seen it. He scratched his head while looking at the floor.

"We can talk about the strange figure, dreams and the door later okay? Please go after her?" I begged. Sora nodded and rushed after Kairi.

"And Sora," I called as he turned to look at me. "Thank you." He nodded at me and gave me a small smile.

"Don't worry." No other words needed to be exchanged as he excited the secret place, Sora and I were good, Kairi and I on the other hand... I grabbed my necklace from around my neck and threw it too the cold, hard floor. I shook the tears from my eyes and looked to my right. Angrily, I grabbed the mushrooms by my feet and exited the secret place, not even glancing behind me to take one last look at the mysterious door or my locket.

xxx

I sat against the branch of the paopu tree sulking. What had been a wonderful day had been ruined and I couldn't figure out how it all went to shit.

"Dammit." I growled, turning and kicking the tree. My temper wasn't the best, and I rarely had it under control. I wasn't calm and collected like Riku, or happy go lucky like Sora, and definitely not as optimistic as Kairi. I'm not even entirely sure how I fit into their picture, I felt like I was the only one with a negative side. Well, until I had witnessed Kairi's today. At the thought of that, I clutched my chest, feeling pain in my heart.

I looked down at my feet seeing that a paopu fruit had fallen next to me when I kicked the tree. I picked it up, examined it, and then chucked it as far as I could from the island.

"Now what did that paopu fruit ever do to you?" I turned to see Riku, arms crossed with a smug look and brow raised, examining me. How long had he been there? I felt my face grow hot.

"Not now, Riku." I slumped back against the tree. Sensing something was obviously wrong, I noticed him walk up beside me. He sat up on the tree and gazed off into the sunset. Whenever I was in a slump, it always seemed like Riku was the one to get me out of it. He didn't ask questions, or pry. He just sat with me until I calmed down, or listened to what I had to say.

"Kairi's upset with me." I murmured. Looking up at Riku and unable to read his expression, I quickly glanced back down at my feet. I wish I had another fruit to throw.

After a few moments of silence I heard Riku speak. "That's not like you two at all." He stated.

"We've never been mad at each other before. I don't know what to do." It was the honest truth. Since I had gotten here, and lived with Kairi, we've never once fought or argued. She was my best friend, my sister, and the person I cared about most.

"Well, maybe you should try talking with her." Riku stated simply as he jumped down from the tree and pointed over by the docks, I followed his finger and saw Kairi and Sora sitting and talking as the sun set. I would have to talk to her later, I didn't want to interrupt that moment, it would only make things worse. I brought my gaze back to Riku and noticed his expression had changed as he looked over at Sora and Kairi, I didn't know what to make of it though.

"I guess you're right." I decided I would talk to her tonight when we got home, back to the mayor's mansion.

We leaned against the tree in silence for what seemed like forever, watching the sunset. It was ironic, earlier today I wanted the day to last forever. Now as I was watching the sunset, I just couldn't wait for it to end.

"She was pretty worried about you earlier...we both were." Riku said, looking over at me. "What happened?"

They were worried? I hadn't been in the secret place for that long had I? I looked over at the cave entrance, remembering back to what Kairi said as she was walking down.

_"Have you seen Ami? I'm worried about her. It's way passed the time we were supposed to meet."_

What on Destiny Islands was going on?

I noticed that Riku had been waiting for an explanation. But for some reason, I didn't want to tell him the truth.

"Oh..well, I...I couldn't seem to find mushrooms anywhere on the Island. I guess I got so obsessed with finding them I lost track of time." I feigned a smile and laughed halfheartedly, hoping Riku would believe my lie. I could see from his expression that he didn't, but for some reason he didn't call me out on it.

"I did find some though." I added, passing him the mushrooms from my pocket. "Do we have everything ready?"

As Riku placed the mushrooms in his pocket he nodded. He seemed more quiet than usual, I wondered what was up.

"Everything good?" I asked, it was my turn to listen to whatever was bothering him.

"Where did your locket go?" He quickly changed the subject. How did he know it was missing? I looked down at my chest and shrugged half-hardheartedly.

"Must have left it on the beach somewhere, I'm sure I'll find it." He didn't seem content with that answer, much like with my lie, but still didn't seem to pry.

He kept his eyes still gazing forward, never seeming to leave Kairi and Sora.

"You're ready to go, right?" Did he think I would get cold feet? Or wimp out?

"Of course," I said strongly. "My middle name is adventure." I pointed at my chest with a proud smirk. "I'm ready for anything, you know that, Riku."

Ready for anything of course, except his next question. He nodded, breaking himself from his thoughts and his gaze from Sora and Kairi and turning to me with an intimidating gaze, I felt as if his eyes could see right through me.

"What if there was another way to travel from this Island, would you take it?" His voice seemed a bit off, like he wasn't sure of the answer himself. Truthfully, I didn't even know what to say. Another way off the Island? But how?

"But Riku, what other way would there be besides the raft?" I cocked my head to the side lost in total confusion. If we didn't leave on the raft, how were we going to get anywhere at all?

"You're right, forget I asked okay?" He shoved his hands in his pocket. "Must be tired from getting everything ready today." He said more to himself than me. I didn't even realize how late it had gotten until I noticed the sun almost fully set. I really had no sense of time today. I also noticed that while we were talking Sora must have taken his boat back to the mainland, and Kairi wasn't on the dock either anymore. _Where could she have gone?_

Riku seemed to notice my concern and walked toward the bridge. "I think I saw Kairi head over with Sora. It's getting pretty late you want to head home?" I felt like I should stay and wait for her to come back for her boat, but maybe she just needed to blow off some steam. Besides, we would talk tonight. I'd stay up and wait for her to get home.

"Alright." I said giving in and headed over and walked with him towards our boats. As we untied them, I looked over at Riku.

"Tomorrow's the day." He said, seemingly optimistic, yet serious. I quietly nodded, this all seemed so real. And even though we've been preparing for weeks, it seemed so sudden. Were we ready?

"No sleeping in, by the way." Riku's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "If I catch you and Sora taking a nap on the beach, maybe Kairi and I will just head out together and leave you two behind." He teased, his signature smirk played across his lips and he laughed at my lack of a response. I splashed some water in his direction, too drained to come up with a sarcastic rebuttal. We both said goodnight and started rowing our boats back to the mainland.

The whole way back my mind was lost in thought, just as it had been all day today. The thought of getting on a raft and venturing off to the unknown both frightened and excited me. Through all the excitement, I seemed to have forgotten to ask myself the most important questions. Would we really find mine and Kairi's homes? And did I even really want to find the truth? I shook my head, realizing all this thinking was going to give me grey hair by sixteen.

Why was I so worried? I was going to have my three best friends there with me on this journey. Nothing could stop us.

I absentmindedly tied my boat to the dock when I got back to the mainland, I noticed that Kairi's still wasn't back.

_Was she really that upset? _I quietly opened the door the our home and crept inside. I'm sure the mayor, or 'dad', as he insisted we call him, would probably be upset at how late I was getting home and that we had missed dinner. But he would probably be even more upset that Kairi wasn't with me.

_I should have waited for her, man am I a terrible sister. _It was too late to go back, it'd be hard to see where you were rowing in the dark. I was half expecting a phone call from Sora's mother saying that Kairi would have to spend the night. Once I reached our room and put pajamas on though, I sat up in bed hoping that she would burst through the door at any moment.

I practiced my apology until it was engraved in my head, and eventually laid down by the windowsill overlooking the island. It was far too late for Kairi to be coming home now, I'm sure Sora was going to bring her by in the morning and we could talk then. I pictured different scenarios in my head until I drifted off to sleep and they became dreams.

xxx

I'm not sure how long I was asleep for, but I must have left the window open because I felt something dripping onto my face, was that rain?

"Wait...rain?!" I jumped from my slumber and leaned out the window. Staring at the black cloud that engulfed the entire sky above. My jaw dropped. _A storm? _It took me a moment to realize something.

"The raft!" I threw clothes around and fell trying to get changed and rushed out the door. I couldn't let the raft get destroyed in the storm. I wouldn't, not after all our hard work! I ran down the stairs and practically fell out the front door to my home, hoping that as it slammed shut it didn't wake the mayor. I wish I had taken one last glance, because I wasn't sure of what was to come as I untied my boat and rowed towards the island.

I screamed as the waves almost engulfed my small rowboat as I headed towards the docks. I didn't even stop to tie the boat down when I noticed that Sora, Kairi and Riku's boats were all there already.

_Did they come to save the raft too? _I looked around not seeing them anywhere.

"Sora! Riku! Kairi!" I called out walking onto the beach. The wind took my calls and carried them into the storm, there was no way anyone would be able to hear me. The storm seemed to be getting worse as tree branches were breaking off and flying onto the beach. What was I thinking, heading head first into a storm like this?! I turned my head as I noticed a figure running from the secret place, my heart was in my throat for fear of it being the figure I saw earlier. But when I saw the giant spikes of brunette hair I instantly called out trying to scream louder than the wind.

"Sora!" I met his blue eyes with my hazel ones and noticed that his were in complete shock. I saw as he sprinted over to me waving hysterically, but I couldn't hear what he was saying until he was practically right in my face.

"Ami! Run!" He grabbed my hand just as I turned to see a giant pool of darkness grow from behind me. Black creatures started to climb out of it and overrun the beach.

"They're from the dreams!" I screamed to Sora as he nodded in understanding. "What's going on, Sora?!" He shook his head, just as lost as I was. "Where's Kairi?" I asked him as we ran to the seashack, catching our breath and hiding from the storm inside.

"She never went home with you?" Sora asked in distress.

"With me?" I cried, "I thought she left with you!" I panicked at the thought of her being alone in this storm somewhere with monsters running a muck.

"Well find her." Sora said as he made a fist and held a determined look in his eyes. "C'mon I think I saw Riku over by the paopu tree. Maybe he's seen Kairi." He grabbed my arm as we climbed up towards the bridge.

There was no time to think about anything else, as long as we were all together, I knew we'd be okay. Sora and I rushed across the bridge to see Riku standing in the middle, a large black orb floating above him.

"Riku!" I called out, racing towards him. "Riku, where's Kairi?!" Why couldn't I stop crying, or stop shaking.

When Riku turned to us, he wasn't the same Riku I had spoken with earlier in this exact same spot. I felt chills looking at him now where he stood, and it frightened me. Goosebumps crawled up my legs and arms when I met his eyes. How had I not seen how one of my best friends had changed so much?

"Kairi's coming with us." He yelled, for a moment I was stunned. Where were we going without the raft?! But I knew the answer once I saw the dark orb above him.

_"What if there was another way to travel from this Island, would you take it?"_

I wanted to scream at him, to knock some sense into him.

"Riku, this isn't the way!" I cried. This isn't what I thought our adventure was going to be. Sora and I moved closer to Riku as the wind seemed to pushing everything towards the black mass above him. Even if I wanted to run away, I couldn't stop the force of the wind.

"Don't you see? This is the only way!" I looked over at Sora and saw our fear reflecting from our eyes to each other. As we looked back at Riku, we saw him hold out his hands towards us. But when Sora and I reached for him, a pool of darkness appeared from beneath us. I gasped as I felt the cold tendrils wrap about my leg.

_This is my dream..._

I reached forward with all my might, and saw Sora do the same. I looked over at Riku, and his expression seemed to be asking me to give in, to surrender. Fearful of what might happen if I didn't, I yelled to Sora.

"We have to give in!" I was surprised when I saw him refuse, shaking his head so violently his spiky hair could have been a weapon. Yet he still reached for Riku's hand. The darkness was at our necks now, even though I knew my hand was reaching out, I couldn't see it. The farther I reached the farther away Riku seemed to be. As the darkness engulfed us I took one last look at Sora and turned towards Riku. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed into the darkness and finally felt a hand grasp mine.

Even when it all went dark, I felt the hand holding mine grasp tighter.

xxx

I never thought I'd feel warmth ever again, the dark pool I had been engulfed in made me the coldest I had ever felt. But the cool stone I was laying on didn't help the fact. Wait, where was I? It hurt opening my eyes, due to the sunlight beaming down on us. Was that all a dream? Was I going to open my eyes and wake up on the beach of Destiny Islands? Double no. I came to the terrible realization that this was indeed reality, and that I was far from home. I tried to wiggle my fingers and toes, and realized that I was still grasping someones hand.

I moved my head and saw tufts of silver hair next to me, my eyes traveled down to see my hands clasped tight with Riku's. I felt my face grow hot as I lifted it from the granite rock I was laying on and quickly let go of the hand I had held onto for life, ruffling my jacket in embarrassment.

"Riku, wake up." My voice was hoarse, and I barely spoke above a whisper. As his body moved and he slowly woke up and looked around, shocked at what was around us. We were on a rock platform, and all around was water...rising upward.

_What the..._ My eyes traveled up to see a colossal castle in the distance. It was beautiful, yet mysterious, and for some reason when I looked up at it, I felt fear.

"Sora! Kairi!" I turned to see Riku standing and calling for our friends that did not make it to this place with us. _If we were sent here...I wonder where they are now._

I felt Riku's eyes on me, but I couldn't meet them with mine. I had my hands balled into fist and all I could feel was anger.

I was surprised at how easily I was calmed though, when I felt him place a hand on my shoulder.

"We made it." He said, turning me to face him. "You grabbed a hold of my hand and we made it. We'll find Sora and Kairi, don't worry."

Was he completely un-phased by what had just happened to our home?! I simply nodded, not sure how to respond, where had my friend gone? And who was this stranger? I was about to ask when I noticed we weren't alone anymore.

I could tell Riku sensed it too when we both turned back to the castle and saw a slender woman standing on the floating rocks above us.

"Well, hello there, and welcome." She brandished a sinister smile. Everything about this woman was telling me to run in the opposite direction and yet I was compelled to walk towards her. She had shallow lime skin and a black horned headdress that ran down her purple and black robes. In her hand she held a mighty staff with a strange, glowing orb on the top. I felt her menacing power just standing as far back as I was.

I noticed that Riku instinctively stepped in front of me, and I wasn't going to complain. But for some reason I yearned to walk towards this mysterious woman and even more mysterious castle.

"Welcome children, to Hollow Bastion."

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Let me know what you think, please R&amp;R!


	2. Strange Whispers

My faithful readers. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything related to that. I do own my OC though, and a copy of Kingdom Hearts. So go ahead and read and please enjoy! But, don't forget to review.

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Strange Whispers  


You know when you experience a dream that feels so real, you seem to get lost in it and can't differentiate the dream from reality? That is what this moment felt like. I wanted to pinch myself, to wake up in my warm, comfortable bed and spend the day on the Island with Sora, Kairi and Riku and pretend none of this ever happened. That this was all one big dream.

Kairi would be pulling me from my bed, muttering at how in the world someone could sleep in till noon as she dragged me downstairs for brunch. _Kairi..._ I thought to myself looking at the ground. I never even got to apologize, or explain anything to her. The last memory I have was the look of pain in her eyes. I shuddered at the thought. _Would she ever forgive me? Would I ever get the chance to apologize? _But most importantly_. __Would I ever see her again?_

I felt a cold breeze blow through my hair and push me forward, bumping me into Riku. He turned from the mysterious woman in front of us and looked towards me. The woman's eyes followed Riku's gaze and when they landed on mine, I felt as if she were looking into my soul. Her eyes were devious, and stone cold, much like the ground we were standing on. I felt a chill crawl up my spine as I was frozen in place. I watched as her lips curved into a malicious grin. Yet, as we stood and made eye contact, I couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with this stranger. Which was odd, considering I had never seen anyone like her in my life. But for some reason I felt like I had.

Our connection was broken when she brought her gaze back to Riku. Who's eyes, for some reason, never left me.

"Hollow...Bastion?" I whispered to myself, staring up at the castle. All of the machinery, smoke, and towers made it feel menacing and powerful. And yet...I felt the same strange connection to it that I felt when being near this woman. I dismissed the feeling, assuming that I only felt that way because the castle and woman shared the same dreadful feeling of the darkness that overtook the Island.

Speaking of the Island, just how far from it were we? I've never even heard of this place before. Nor had I seen pictures of it in our class textbooks.

"Yes, my dear. You've both had a hard journey getting here, but you made it right on time. Let's go inside and talk." Had she been expecting us? It wasn't even a question as more of command coming from her, and I felt that denying that request would have been a grave mistake. Plus, I had questions that needed answers, and I wasn't leaving until I got them.

As we rose on one of the floating rocks, above the rising falls and walked up the castle gates, the woman turned to us before approaching two large doors that seemed even too big for a giant.

"Ah, where are my manners?" She feigned hospitality. "I am Maleficent, ruler of this castle and of this world."

Riku and I simply stated our names, tones flat as the sudden and shocking realization struck us.

We hadn't just traveled far from Destiny Islands, we had traveled to a completely different world.

xxx

As the doors to the castle opened and revealed an elegant, dark hall with statues and chandeliers I stood in awe. This place was hauntingly beautiful, like a gothic cathedral. The woman, Maleficent, led us throughout most of the castle while I gawked at everything. She brought us through the massive library, my personal favorite room. I made a mental note to head back there and browse through all of the books later. She showed us how to operate the lifts, a grandly decorated ballroom, and a room that was oddly empty except for a round platform on the floor.

She then led us down a large hallway and at the end were two rooms. I stood in front of them confused.

"Now then, I would you like you two well rested before our conversation. I will send for you when you are ready." And that was that, Maleficent seemed to be the 'as a matter of fact' type. She disappeared into a ball of darkness, and left Riku and I standing before what seemed to be...our new rooms?

Sure, the castle was enticing, but I didn't want to stay. We're supposed to be on an adventure! One that requires us to first find Sora and Kairi now too!

_"Kairi's coming with us!" _I recalled Riku's statement and crossed my hands over my chest. _Well Riku, where is she?_

I noticed that he had been fairly silent this entire time, as he pushed open one of the doors in front of him, he was surprised to find me pushing him into the room and closing the door behind us.

"Ami?" If we were under different circumstances, I would have liked to laugh at the look of surprise on his face, but this was not the time nor the place. I don't think these rooms had ever heard the sound of laughter echo off the walls.

"Riku, what is going on?!" My voice shook, I was frightened, nothing made sense anymore and I didn't know if this was real or some insane nightmare. I must have looked like a mess, because the features of Riku's face twisted when he finally saw me in the dim lit room. Which by the way was huge, like the rest of this castle. I realized that I had never felt so small before walking the halls here. This whole place felt menacing and intimidating. Inside the room the dark purple curtains covered most of the stained glass windows taking up the walls, and there was a bed and dresser. I turned slightly to face the mirror on top of the dresser and cringed at what I saw. Hair wavy and a mess, my eyes held purple, possibly permanent bags under them, and my voice still hoarse from trying to scream over the storm at the Island.

Riku placed his strong hands on my shoulders. He looked as confident as always when he spoke to me.

"Ami, everything's going to be all right. You just have to trust me, have I ever let you down?" No, Riku had never let me down. For all the time I had known him, he never let anyone down. But right now, I felt that was about to change. Ever since sinking into that darkness that surrounded us on the Island, the feeling of it in my heart never left...had it always been there, waiting to surface? And even more terrifying was the fact that I found comfort in accepting it. What was happening to me?

"I think Maleficent can help us find Sora and Kairi, and with her help and power we could probably travel to other worlds too." He was convincing, I'll give him that. Wait...other worlds?

"What do you mean other worlds?" I must have sounded so innocent and naive, but how did Riku know of other worlds existing in the first place? _It must have to do with the door in the secret place. _

Riku scruff-ed his hand through my hair like I was a little kid. "Of course there are other worlds, Ami. The raft wouldn't have been able to take us to them though." I scoffed at this statement.

_So was sending us to some dark castle your idea of an adventure, Riku?_

"But Riku, can't you feel dark presences here?" This whole place just felt...wrong. Riku looked like he didn't understand.

"Ami, the darkness isn't something to fear. Where there is light, there will always be darkness. Everyone has darkness in their hearts, just like they have light as well. That doesn't mean we have to reject a part of who we are, or be scared of it. The darkness got us here safely didn't it? As long as we can control it then we will be alright."

I thought back to my dream in the secret place, of how Riku's hand broke through the door and we sank together into the darkness. I held myself and shuddered realizing that my dream had become a reality. But what really scared me is just how comfortable I felt sinking into that darkness. Was Riku right?

A voice whispered through the air, seeping into the room like a fog. It wrapped around us, echoing through the room.

"Riku. Ami. Your presence is required in the grand hall. I will be awaiting your arrival." The calm voice of Maleficent filled the entire rustic room as I faced the door.

"Ami," I saw Riku extend his hand out to me, just like he had done on the Island. "I won't let us get lost in the darkness, okay?" I really did trust him. So I extended my hand out to grab his as he led me down the hall to begin our adventure. But as long as Riku and I were together, everything would be okay right? We would speak with Maleficent to see what she has to tell us, and then find Sora and Kairi.

Right?

xxx

We entered the hall and saw Maleficent standing tall, looming over us on a central pedestal with a terrifying statue of a gargoyle creature behind her. I felt the pressure of her power as soon as we walked towards her. Riku and I stood before Maleficent, waiting for her to speak, wondering what her plan with us was.

"My children, I have a deal to strike with you." The door closed behind us, and I felt that neither of us were going to have the chance to decline this offer Maleficent was going to present us with. _Riku, what have you gotten us into?_

"You see, I require two assistants to do some simple...tasks for me. For I am only one person, I can't do them all on my own, and ruling this castle is much too large a job on its own." I highly doubt this woman was in need of children in her life, what was she really after here? And these tasks? I had a feeling it wasn't a simple laundry list that Maleficent had planned out for us.

"And in return?" Riku asked, wondering what was on the other side of the bargain, if the outcome would be worth the trouble. I watched as Maleficent rubbed the green orb on top of her staff, a fog started to fill and the air and figures began to appear, at first they were hard to make out. But as Riku and I stepped closer, examining them, the images became clear.

"Sora! Kairi!" We both yelled. I reached out my hand for Kairi's, but lowered it in defeat when I realized it was only just an illusion. Tears welled up in my eyes. She was right there! Right there in front of me and I couldn't reach her. I noticed Riku held a longing gaze, to be with his friends as well. We looked past the fog at Maleficent. She stared at us with only a look of satisfaction in here eyes as we realized the outcome of our agreement. No matter what the cost, Riku and I would find them. I silently promised this to Sora and Kairi as their images faded, and the room returned back to normal.

"These are the friends you seek, are they not?" With our heads slumped in defeat and the silence in the air, Maleficent had the answer she was looking for.

"Join with me, and I will steer you in the direction of the friends you seek." This was not an open-ended debate. _But is there a catch? __There's always a catch. _

"I will bestow upon you great power. Once I awaken the darkness in your hearts, you will be at my command. Is this understood?" I held my breath. The room was now so silent you could hear a pin drop. Maleficent walked down from the platform she had been standing on to approach us. The clack of her heels racking against my brain with each step she took. While she was walking she waved her hand as a small pool of darkness appeared in front of us, and out from it's depth a black creature appeared with beady, yellow eyes.

I almost turned and ran for the exit, had I not been frozen in fear.

"The heartless will be under your control, you will be able to travel to any world you choose, and once you are finished with my tasks...well we will see where we go from there." So in conclusion, we would doing Maleficent's dirty work, controlling the same creatures that destroyed our home and have been haunting my dreams, and on top of that we would be giving into the darkness. This was wrong, I knew it was wrong. Riku and I had to say no, there was no way. Now I'm not afraid of much, but the darkness was not something to mess with. That's something Kairi told me a long time ago.

_"Just stay in the light, Ami." _I heard a strange whisper. I turned my head slightly. _Kairi? _But there was no one in this room other than Maleficent, Riku and I.

**"Entrust your body to the soothing waves of the darkness, Ami." **Another whisper said, overpowering that of the other one.

It was the same voice from the secret place. My heart was torn. I had questions I needed answers to, a truth I had to find. But at what costs? To give into the darkness? I needed time to think, something that I knew Maleficent wouldn't give to us. So when it came down to it, I felt my heart plummet as we gave our answer.

I didn't even have to look over at Riku to know what he was going to say, so I stood tall next to him and held back the tears from my eyes.

"We submit."

Maleficent lifted her staff and I noticed a green glow engulf Riku and I, he saw the fear in my eyes and shook his head.

_"Don't be afraid." _He mouthed to me. I felt like I was choking, gasping for air as the darkness was unleashed from my heart. I clutched my chest, feeling an immense power growing inside me. How was I supposed to keep control of this? I was panicking as I dropped to my knees and placed my free hand on the floor. I tried to control my breathing and control the power rapidly growing, unleashed from a long slumber in my heart. Finally, my breathing became even as I focused my thoughts on Kairi and Sora.

_I'm doing this for you two, to find you both and get us back home. _The thought of my friends calmed me as I noticed the green glow began to fade as tears dropped from my face and onto the floor. Breathing unevenly again, I gasped for air and raised my head to see Riku standing calmly, and Maleficent studying me with her eyes slanted. _How had he accepted the darkness so well? _

Riku started to offer his hand to help me up, but I refused to take it and pushed myself back up, forcing my legs to hold my body upright. I could never look weak again, to ever let Maleficent feel more powerful than I.

"I expect to see you tomorrow morning for training. I will teach you to control your new powers. For now, return to your quarters and rest." Maleficent disappeared into the darkness, leaving Riku and I standing in the grand hall left with our thoughts, and our darkness.

xxx

"Riku, I told you I can walk. I'm fine." I was tired and angry. The darkness had taken a lot out of me, and I hadn't felt the same since earlier. Riku and I were walking down the hall to our rooms now. I was infuriated that he tried helping me walk back, as I said before I was fine. My breathing was labored by the time we reached the doors, so maybe I wasn't fine. But I didn't need Riku seeing me so weak. Being so used to competing with him and Sora, it only felt natural to be angry when I lost to him.

I frowned, eventually letting him help me to my bed. To which I landed right onto and buried my face into the pillow. As soon as I heard Riku close the door, a wave of emotions took over me and I let them all go onto the pillow. For what seemed like forever, I cried for our home, our parents, Kairi and Sora. I cried for the situation Riku and I now found ourselves in and I cried from the pain in my heart. Eventually, there was nothing left to cry about. So I sat up and wiped my eyes. Looking around the room, I noticed it was the same setup at Riku's. It was large and somewhat empty, which made it feel somewhat lonely. I sighed, wondering when it was that I had become so small in comparison to the world around me.

_What's happened has happened, there's no going back. _I refused to cry anymore, laid my head back down and drifted off to sleep.

I felt myself falling, but this time, instead of landing on a stained glass platform, I found myself in the castle library. Browsing the many book shelves I felt calm and secluded. But as I walked up and down the aisles, a certain book at the end of the row seemed to stick out, a small light glowing around it's cover. I reached for it, unable to grasp it. The further I reached the farther it got. Now I was determined to get this book. The challenge was on. I picked up my pace and started to run, continuing to reach my arm out. My sprinting was all in vain, for the book was now miles from me. I stomped my foot in defeat, vowing that I would get that book.

"Ami." A voice whispered to me from the sky. I looked up, taking my attention from the book. "Ami." The voice got louder.

I awoke to a hand softly shaking me from my dream.

"No, ne-need to get...book." I grumbled from my damp pillow case. I heard a soft chuckle and opened my eyes to see Riku. "Hnm?" I grumbled. It was still dark out, why was Riku waking me up?

"You awake?" He questioned.

I stared at him dumbfounded. "Well, now I am?"

He scratched his head in response. "Sorry, dumb question. C'mon with me, I want to show you something." I arose and followed suite, wondering what in the worlds was so important that Riku had to drag me from my nice, warm bed for.

We snuck through the halls and up countless stairs, from lift to lift and climbed to the tallest point of the castle. We crawled down a narrow hall and approached a small door at the end. I guess instead of resting, Riku must have been exploring throughout the night. He motioned for me to go first and I climbed through, on the other side the view left me breathless. I stood up on a platform large enough for two and gasped at what I saw. You could see the whole front of Hollow Bastion, as well as miles and miles ahead, past the rising falls. The sky seemed endless.

"Riku...this is incredible." I held my arms out standing under the moonlight and felt a cool breeze that reminded me of the Islands. Riku walked up next to me, staring at the moon, the countless stars shining down on us.

After a long silence, Riku's voice brought my gaze from the stars to him. "Ami, I'm sorry about dragging you into this." I turned to see him standing there, hands in his pockets as his gaze traveled from the moon to the ground. He brought me here to apologize? I reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

"I forgive you." Even though it didn't turn out the way we had planned, we were still on our adventure right? Why not make the best of it.

Riku raised his brow and scoffed. "I pulled you into the darkness and have us stuck working for some witch, and you forgive me?" He stated incredulously.

I put my hands on my hips. "Riku, you're one of my best friends. We can get through this and we can find Sora and Kairi. I know we can. And if you didn't take me with you, who knows where I could have ended up?" The thought of being alone and lost scared me, at least I had a friend here with me.

"I'm glad I grabbed your hand." We sat along what felt like the edge of the world, looking up at the immense sky above us. Whatever struggles the future brought, I know we would get through it. If we had to use the darkness, then so be it. But I would never let it control us, I promised to myself. I noticed the stars above us, were those other worlds? If so, I wanted to see them all, with Kairi, Sora and Riku by my side.

After another long, calm silence, I heard Riku's voice.

"I'm glad you did too."

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I'm trying to post at least once a day and if not then a few times a week. This has been a story that I've been wanting to write as a means for distraction. So thank you for taking the time to read! Suggestions? Like it? Just want to drop a hello? R&amp;R


	3. Shrouding Dark Cloud

Thank you for your follows, favorites and reviews! **VampireSiren **and **Asigl **I appreciate your kind reviews. Ami's story will be a fun one and I hope that all you readers enjoy it!

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Shrouding Dark Cloud  


I groggily rubbed my eyes and for a moment, was unaware of my surroundings. I was cocooned in a mass of blankets and my eyes shifted through the room. _Ah, I almost forgot this wasn't a dream. _The Island I had grown up on seemed so far away, as memories of that fateful night replayed through my head. The darkness had swallowed it, spitting Riku and I out into this world called Hollow Bastion. Where a mysterious castle and even more mysterious woman resided. The powerful witch, Maleficent, seemed to know we would be arriving, and for some unknown reason, summoned us to do her dirty work using the powers of darkness. In return, she would show us the location of our missing friends. I only hope she stay true to her words.

I rose from my bed, basking in the light seeping through the large curtains as I waltzed to the dresser and brushed my wavy, knotted hair. I quietly hummed to myself thinking about mine and Riku's adventure to the top of the castle last night, and how beautiful the night sky looked. I decided that today after our training, I would search the rest of the castle. Especially the giant library. Who knows what kind of ancient books that place held? Plus I was curious if my dream about the unreachable book had meaning behind it.

There was a gentle knock on my door as Riku stepped in and wished me good morning. He stood, sighing impatiently by the door with his arms crossed as I put my red and black leather jacket on.

"I forgot that you take _almost_ as long as Kairi getting ready in the morning." He teased, to which I stuck my tongue out in response.

"Ah yes, and that you're just as mature as Sora. You know, you take after them very well." We walked down the hall as I put my elbow on his shoulder.

"Don't forget that I'm just as stubborn as you, looks like I have all my friends best qualities." I scoffed, flipping my hair and starting to run down the hall. Riku rolled his eyes and started to run, trying to get ahead of me. _Challenge accepted._

We sprinted down the long hallways and twisting stair wells laughing and yelling, trying to see who could reach the grand hall first.

As we barged into the room, I swear I won by a landslide, but Riku wasn't one to accept second place. Demanding a rematch, I laughed and shook my head while waving my hand.

"If you're so adamant about losing _again_, I guess we could have a rematch." I laughed. Riku crossed his arms over his chest, pushing his buttons was one of my favorite past times.

"Well, to make sure you don't cheat again, we can have the heartless judge." There was a faint glimmer in his eyes, a dark one. He raised his hand in the air and all around us pools of darkness exploded and opened on the ground. A circle of shadows were suddenly around us, swaying back and forth and twitching in a sickly manner.

I felt my heart race in my chest and my hands began to shake, as images flashed back to the Island that fateful night. I felt my upper lip quiver and my body tremble. I turned back to Riku, looking at him with eyes wide in fear. Had he called this many on purpose? I had only been joking with him...But when I saw the look of surprise in his eyes when he focused on his hand I realized something was wrong.

"I...I only meant to summon one." He said incredulously.

I then realized the heartless were trying to split us up, forcing us into two small, separate circles around the room, the dark tendrils rose from the open pits. There was now a wall of darkness forming between us. I called to Riku, hoping my voice would break through, but all I could see were bits of his silver hair and yellow shirt through the darkness, or were those the eyes of the heartless getting closer and closer?

I crouched into a battle stance raising my arms to my chest and held out my fists. Scanning my surroundings, I searched for an exit, a break in the wall to escape through. Realizing there were none, and seeing the heartless just standing there, I quickly formulated that this was either a setup, or that the heartless were mindless and useless. I was leaning towards both of these outcomes.

A voice called out through the darkness and confirmed that my assumptions were correct. My intuition usually never failed me, usually.

"Good morning, children. I do hope you are well prepared for training. You must always be ready for surprises." It was a setup. Put together by none other than Maleficent herself.

Did she want us to fight the heartless surrounding us? But...

"How are we supposed to train with no weapons?" I called out, I wasn't sure my fists or feet would do much damage against these creatures, nor did I think a hundred against one was very fair even with a weapon.

A soft chuckle filled the air. "My darling, what do you mean you do not have a weapon?" Did she mean the darkness was what we would fight with? But how? I noticed the heartless growing closer and closer, the air and space around me becoming more and more constricted.

_Don't panic, just breathe. Don't panic, just breathe. _I repeated this mantra over and over in my head until it became a chant. I breathed deeply and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus on the darkness and reached out my hand, hoping something, anything would materialize for me to fight with. I peeked open one eye and was shocked to see...nothing.

_Why didn't it work?! _What was I doing wrong? Panic set it when I realized that the heartless weren't backing off. I wonder if Riku had summoned his weapon yet, were we in the same situation, or was he already done fighting the heartless?

"Augh!" I screamed, a sudden pain exploding from my stomach. Looking down I locked eyes with a small heartless that had dug it's claws into me, it pulled back one of them and looked like it was searching for a certain part of me to strike. I noticed my shirt soaked with a red substance, and a trail of it dripped from the heartless's hand. When it saw my chest it raised it's claw and I saw, and felt, just how razor like it was. It was aiming for my heart. But why? I thought this was training! If I wasn't strong enough, was Maleficent just going to leave me for dead?

Would _Riku_?

The darkness closed in around me, I could sense the hunger coming from the heartless attached to my stomach, slowly I realized that this may be it. I could die right here and now, my promise to Kairi nothing but an unfulfilled wish. I would fail.

Falling deeper into negative thoughts I felt a different kind of energy boil up inside of me, and when the heartless dug his claw deeper l let out a scream of anguish. My whole body felt cold, darkness covering every inch of me.

Everything was blurry, but I saw a boy slash through the darkness wielding a strange blade. It looked like a bat's wing, with vibrant reds and blueish blacks coloring it.

"Ami, no! Get control of the darkness! Get it away from your heart!" The boys voice was shaky. Get what away from my heart? The heartless? Or my darkness?

I heard him slashing away at the creatures around me with that blade. I managed to grab the heartless attached to me and pull it off, throwing it as far as I could. Talk about weak.

My legs gave out, and I hit the ground as graceful as a rag doll would.

Everything went black.

xxx

Darkness. That was the only thing surrounding me, there was nothing else. I was just floating through never ending darkness. It was comfortable...but...but I couldn't stay here. There were friends that I promised to find, a home I needed to return to, and truths that needed to be revealed.

As if on cue, a voice called through the dark, to bring me back.

"Ami. Ami, can you hear me?' _Yes, loud and clear, Riku._ I felt warm, and it was that warmth that created a light all around me, blinding me. When I finally opened my eyes, they met with a pair of bright, sky blue ones. I went to speak, but felt a sharp pain all over. I gasped, clenching my stomach in agony.

"Ami, don't move, I just cleaned those bandages." _Bandages? Excuse me? _I looked down, surprised to see my stomach all wrapped up. I looked over at the trash and saw it filled with blood stained cloths.

"That shadow was trying to take your heart." Riku mumbled, he was staring at the floor. I looked at him, my head cocked sideways as I was completely confused.

"That's what those types of heartless are called, Maleficent explained to me. The weaker type, they're called shadows." I blushed in embarrassment. Of course, while I was unconscious, obviously Riku had shown that he was ready in his training and I had failed. I couldn't even defeat the weakest type of heartless, to Maleficent I must have been deemed useless, much like the shadows. I hung my head low, ashamed that I couldn't be as strong as him, as Riku continued with his explanation.

"The heartless only want one thing. People's hearts." Absentmindedly my hand reached over mine. That shadow...wanted my heart?

"When a person's heart is taken from them, they too become a heartless." Now that was a scary thought, and to think if Riku hadn't come to help, I could have ended up as one of them.

"I used the darkness to make this blade materialize. It appeared in my hands right when I heard you scream." I glanced over at Riku in surprise.He reached his hand out and a bright light appeared, revealing the blade I had seen earlier. "This is called 'Soul Eater'." He simply stated, either Riku didn't know what is was, or he didn't want to explain it. Either way, for some reason, I felt extremely fearful of it.

"When...When I heard you scream, all I could think about...was protecting you." I felt my face get hot, or was the room getting warmer? I mean I was covered in blankets, so obviously it wasn't because of what Riku stated. Best friends are supposed to protect each other, so why I was acting so weird?

Riku hung his head low. "I was almost too late..." Instinctively I placed my hand over his.

"Riku, you saved me. I should have been able to protect myself, or even form a weapon. But I couldn't do either of those things." I was weak. But I was going to prove to Riku, Maleficent and myself that I could grow strong.

"You just need more training with the darkness. I convinced Maleficent to give us a second chance of proving ourselves when you're better. So you'll have to rest and heal." By us, I knew Riku meant 'me'. I couldn't mess this up, who knows what Maleficent would do with me if I couldn't meet her ideals. I would have to prepare myself.

I tried to sit up on my elbows and immediately felt a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from moving further.

"Are you kidding me? Didn't you just hear what I said earlier about moving?" His voice was a mixture of irritation and concern. I swatted at his hand and continued to push myself up. I heard him sigh in disapproval.

"Alright, fine, clean your own bandages when you re-open that scar." _Scar? _I kept my gaze on the blanket, my hands clenching them tight. _Dammit, why am I so weak?! _I felt my eyes began to fill up with tears, a few of them escaping onto the bandages wrapped around my body. Covered in cuts and bruises I glared at my reflection in the mirror across the room. What I saw was a useless, pathetic girl. I was ashamed that I failed to control the darkness and embarrassed that Riku was seeing me like this, having to take care of me.

"Aw, geez, Ami, look...I-I'm sorry okay?" Riku scratched the back of his head. He was never good with consoling people. "Here, just lay back down okay? I have something to stop the pain." I shot him a look that said 'well why didn't you use that in the first place?'. He pulled out a mysterious glass bottle of a murky, green liquid and I immediately clamped my mouth shut and shook my head. Nope. No way, no how. I was not drinking any of that nor letting it anywhere near me.

Riku gave me a quizzical look. "Maleficent said to wait until you were awake to give you this. It's just a potion." When I shook my head, Riku knew this would have to go the hard way.

"Look, Ami, you have to take this. It'll make the pain go away and better heal that injury." I was now vehemently shaking my head, pulling the covers up over my mouth.

"You can't be _this _stubborn. C'mon, I took one too. It's not like its poison or anything. Do you really think I would give you something like that?"

I pulled the covers down and pouted. "How do you know it's not poi-" Riku saw this is an opportunity and took my jaw, putting the bottle into my mouth, truthfully, it didn't taste that bad. The substance was a little sour, but I did actually feel a little better as it poured down my throat. I didn't want to give Riku the satisfaction though. So once it was gone I began gagging and making moaning, zombie like noises clutching my throat.

Riku sighed at my theatrics, but a small laugh escaped his lips. He smirked at me, back to his usual self.

"Very dramatic performance, Ami." Riku sarcastically spoke as he rose from the chair next to my bed. I laid down, bringing the covers back up to my chin and smiled. As he threw out the bottle and headed for the door he turned to face me.

"Just rest and let the potion sink in. I'll be back to check on you in a few." In the light leaking through my door I got a good look at Riku's face, as the shadows outlined his features I saw deep bags under his eyes and a look of exhaustion. How long had he been sitting here with me? "And don't get up from that bed, I don't want to have to re-wrap those bandages." I gave him a salute and nodded.

"Riku, I'm fine. Go get some rest okay? You need it more than I do." Riku nodded and softly smiled before closing the door and exiting my room.

I really did think about listening to Riku, for about a minute or two. But the thought of exploring the library was much better than laying here for hours. I knew that once Riku laid down, he probably wasn't getting up for a while, so I had plenty of time.

Maybe there would be books there about controlling the darkness, or what kind of weapon the Soul Eater was, or the heartless. I didn't want to be left confused about everything, swimming in the dark searching for answers. I would have to go out and find them.

The potion actually made me feel better than I was expecting it to. I carefully sat up from my bed and placed a hand over the bandages wrapped around me. _So far so good.__ Only a long walk down the hall and three flights of stairs._ Okay, maybe this wasn't the best idea, but I was determined.

Standing up, I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair Riku had been sitting on and reached for the door handle. Hoping that he was fast asleep, I silently tip-toed down the hallway, crept down the stairs and hung to the walls of the grand hall. Standing before me were two large doors where, hopefully, all of the answers I had been searching for were being kept.

I tried to quietly push open the heavy doors, which caused a mixture of pain in my stomach, I cursed clutching it with one hand.

_I did not come all this way to have to turn around now. _

The doors opened and I ran in with excitement. Overwhelmed at all of the rows of books and halls filled with shelves. I didn't even know where to start.

"Finally!" I gasped out loud. But when the door closed behind me, I realized I wasn't alone. A dark cloud formed down one of the halls and I quickly hid behind a row of books as a figure in robes walked through the portal and into the library.

_Dammit._ _What do I do? Do I stay hidden? _I tried to move closer to the figure, curious and intrigued, I found a spot where I was hidden behind a shelf and could still see what was going on.

I watched as the figure in robes sat at a small table under a staircase, in front of the stained glass windows along the wall. Light shined through, reflecting the area with bright colors.

I jumped when another dark portal opened in front of the table, and gasped when I saw Maleficent walk through, standing before the robed figure, blocking my view so I couldn't make out what was under those robes.

The figure must have motioned for Maleficent to sit, but I watched as she shook her head and stayed standing, presumably to look more powerful compared to the figure. I felt the air around us fill with darkness and tension, just who was this person anyway?

"So, Maleficent...How are our...recruits." The voice was familiar, but I couldn't figure out how I knew it. The figure, which from the voice, I noticed was male, had a calm and omnipotent demeanor in his voice. One that scared and yet provoked my attention.

"The boy has reacted to the darkness quite marvelously, he is practically hungry for its power. I will be sending him in one week to begin our mission." _Mission? In one week? _

The figure seemed pleased with this. He stood and sauntered around the room. "Perfect. It is all going according to plan." He paused, seeming to have remembered something suddenly. "Ah...but what of the girl?" _Did he mean me? _

Maleficent chuckled arrogantly. "A failure. The darkness will not allow her control, and will most likely soon devour her heart. I don't know why you think she held any power." Maleficent shook her head disappointingly. "And yet, you and Riku have convinced me to give her another chance. I am not usually _this _kind."

I was now clutching the book shelf with all my might, using it to hold me up as I felt my knees shaking. _The darkness...devouring my heart. _I had to learn how to control it, I just had to.

The figure shook his hood and hauntingly stood over Maleficent. "Do not deem her so useless. You cannot deny that you do not know deep down of what she is capable of. She and Riku are key in helping us reach our goal. But if not watched carefully, she could ruin everything. You of all should know this already, seeing it all at her birth."

I wanted to throw up. I was surprised they didn't hear my body shaking, I clutched my stomach and felt a sticky substance rub off onto my hand through the bandages. _Maleficent...at my birth. _

The witch was intrigued by the end of his sentence. "But how could she ruin anything? If the darkness swallows her, we still have the other in our grasp." As Maleficent spoke, the figure walked down to a row a books and pulled one out. It seemed different from the rest, bound in black with a gold lock on the top. He held it carefully and carried it back over. Placing it on the table, he waved his hand, and a small dark portal swallowed it. To mine and Maleficent's surprise though, we saw a bright light glow from the empty spot at where the book sat in the shelf, and saw it reappear there as if it had never been removed.

"Some type of spell put on it so that the book cannot leave the library by hands other than hers. How annoying." The figure stated irritated. He put his arms behind his back. "That book is my ruin by her hand. But no matter, she will never open it, nor learn how to use it until it is too late." I calculated that the book must have been the one I was dreaming about, was it calling to me?

My wound was making me dizzy, and causing my head to be filled with pain. Nothing was making sense anymore, not that it had to begin with, but I was finding it harder to hear the conversation going on in front of me.

"Sending her to that Island, having her and Riku find the door, and bringing them here. Our pawns are now in place."

I knew where I recognized the voice from, he was the figure in the secret place that day. The one by the door.

"It is almost time to begin."

_What had we gotten ourselves into, Riku?_ Sweat was dripping from my head, my hands now holding onto the shelf for dear life and the pain in my stomach unbearable. "Ugh." I grunted, falling back into a bookcase. My eyes widened in terror at the noise I had caused. I watched as the figures turned to see where the commotion had come from.

"A visitor?" The figure mused as he scanned the room from behind his hood. I couldn't tell where his eyes were looking. I needed to run, to get out of the room, but how?

I felt a cold breeze behind me as a hand clamped over my mouth, I reached up to pull the hand off and scream, but felt my head being turned to see locks of silver hair and a look of concern plastered on Riku's face. He pulled me towards him into the dark portal and all I felt was cold. Leaving the library, and the conversation I had been listening in on behind.

On the other side of the portal I felt warmth, Riku dragged me back into my room and laid me onto my bed. He sat down on the edge of it and began taking off the wrap around my stomach, cringing at what must have been an open wound on my stomach. He sighed and got up, searching for something in the dresser. I had thought those were empty for some reason.

When he found whatever he was looking for, Riku sat back down onto my bed and placed a bottle of some purple, gooey substance next to me. "This is going to hurt." He said flatly. I winced at his tone, knowing he must have been upset with me.

"Augh!" I screamed when his hands rubbed the substance onto my stomach. It burned, and felt like my insides were catching on fire. Clutching the blankets I held back tears and clamped my mouth shut. When Riku was finally done after what felt like forever, I took a deep breath, he wrapped the wound back up and looked at me.

"Don't. Move." He grunted getting up and bringing over another bottle I was all too familiar with, a green liquid filled the bottle. I took the potion from him and drank every last drop of it, wanting this pain to end.

"What in the worlds did you think you were doing? Do you know how worried I was? I searched every bit of this castle for you!" Riku sounded a lot like the mayor did when Kairi and I missed curfew. "And spying on Maleficent? What would she have done if she found you?"

I winced at Riku's reprimanding and couldn't meet his eyes. Everything I heard earlier was floating around my mind as I stared at the ground in disbelief.

"Riku, we have to go back to that library tomorrow." I begged, looking at him and meeting his eyes with mine. He stared at me with his mouth agape.

"Were you even listening to me?" He barked.

I grabbed his arm and explained that the dream I was having pulled me to the library, and that I was looking for answers about all of this. I told him about the conversation I listened in on and the strange figure. I wasn't even sure of everything I was telling him, much of it didn't make sense. But I knew the answers were in that book.

"What book is so important that you're willing to bleed out for it?" Riku wasn't completely convinced, but seemed curious of what Maleficent and the figure were talking about.

"Ami, we can't go back, what's happened has happened and until were done with our business here, there's not much we can do. I say we just hurry up and get done with whatever Maleficent wants, and then we can go find Sora and Kairi." I sighed, I guess he was right. Looking defeated, I realized I'd have to get the book on my own when I healed. I looked down at my bandages and rubbed my stomach, the pain was only a dull throb.

"_If _you lay here and rest tonight, you should be all healed soon." Riku said, noticing my concern over the scar.

"Promise you won't go adventuring tonight." When I nodded he sighed in relief. _Was he really that worried? _

"Riku, I'm sorry." I stated regretfully, I should have just waited, but then again if I did, I wouldn't have heard that conversation in the library. I was surprised when Riku ruffled my hair.

"It's fine, okay?" He got over that pretty quickly. "Just don't worry me like that, Ami."

I nodded and smiled up at him. "I know you just made me promise I wouldn't go adventuring, but what if I had a guide with me?" With the tone of my voice persuading and look resembling a lost puppy, I was hoping Riku and I would at least get to go back to that spot under the stars again. At first he had his arms crossed, he raised a brow.

"And just where would you want to be going this late at night. You should be resting, like I've said about a hundred times already." He began to fix the sheets. "Look, we can go back to the library maybe tomorrow if you're feeling up to it, if that's what you're trying to get at."

My gaze traveled to the window, looking up at the dark clouds covering the moon. Riku's eyes seemed to follow and then landed back on me.

I heard a soft sign from next to me, knowing Riku understood what I was asking. "I guess we could take a quick field trip." A portal opened next to him, and he reached out his hand to me. I carefully stepped out of my bed and grabbed hold, walking into the portal together.

When we stepped out and onto the ledge, the air was crisp and cool. I walked to the edge and gasped at the sky. Even though I had witnessed the view last night, it was even better a second time. I didn't feel so small at the edge of this world. I felt that if I reached high enough I could touch the stars above me. This spot was special, I felt on top of the world, invincible. Riku and I sat for a while under the stars, legs dangling off the ledge. Neither of us breaking the calm silence that hung overhead.

Way up here, all our worries seemed to disappear. I felt disconnected from the castle below, from Maleficent and the strange figure, from the heartless and their darkness and from the mysterious book. I wanted to stay up here forever, to never come back down. We could live amongst the stars.

"Riku," I started, filling the silence with a slight whisper as if we were sharing a secret. "Could we come up here together every night?" I paused. "I mean, until we find Sora and Kairi."

He looked at me as if my request was strange, but then turned his gaze to the view and then back to me. As if he felt the same sense of connection I did to this secret place. "Of course."

It was a promise.

After a while Riku opened another portal and we finally headed back to our rooms for the night. I laid awake, staring out the window at my bedside, up at the stars in the sky. I wondered if Kairi and Sora were somewhere, looking up at them too.

Slowly, as I drifted off to sleep, the night sky illuminated the room around me and whisked me off into my dreams of the Hollow Bastion library, and a strange book calling out to me.

xxx

After three whole days of bed rest and nights visiting the ledge at the edge of the world, I was starting to feel much better. In fact, I noticed no pain coming from my stomach. Unwrapping the bandages, I was surprised to see a much smaller and healed looking scar. Whatever Riku had put on it really worked well. Absentmindedly, as I rubbed my hand over the scar. I blushed thinking back to Riku's hand on my stomach.

_Stop thinking like that, what's wrong with you? _I shook my head and began getting ready, nervous for whatever surprises Maleficent had up her sleeve for today. Since I was healing quickly, we would be training again with the heartless. My second chance at proving myself to Maleficent was moments away. I gulped as a soft knock came from the door. Searching for my sneakers, Riku came in and stood in the doorway.

"Good morning. You feel any better today?" I turned and began putting on my jacket and shoes, nodding brightly.

"Much. Look, there's barely any wound!" I lifted my shirt and revealed my stomach, the wound seemed to be nothing but a small scar now. Riku's eyes quickly averted the flash of skin, and...was his face turning red? I quickly tucked my shift back down, noticing what I had just done. But didn't he wrap the wound for me? I didn't understand why he was acting so awkwardly, we were friends of course.

"G..Glad to see you feeling better." He stuttered over his words and I scratched the back of my head laughing. Basking in the fact that I had made him trip over his words.

"Your face looks like when Sora saw Kairi in a bikini for the first time!" I guffawed while walking down the hallway. Trying to make light of my embarrassing action. Riku ran up behind me.

"What? Are you crazy? It does not!" He shouted defensively. "You're just trying to distract me so you can look better in front of Maleficent at training." I just continued to laugh, the echoes carried through the hall, bouncing off of walls and through the now tense air.

I stopped in my tracks, my thoughts then flooded to training, and to what Maleficent would do to me if I failed today. Riku had continued walking, not noticing I had stopped. What if I wasn't strong enough today? Or if I mess up again and then that's it. No more chances if the heartless take my heart. I was so lost in my thoughts I hadn't noticed Riku walk back up to me, waving a hand in my face.

"Ami? You okay? I was only joking you know." He ran his hand through his hair. "Jeez, you know, sometimes you and Sora take everything _so_ seriously." He nudged my shoulder, bringing me back to reality.

"Whoops, sorry Riku." I scratched the back of my head making up an excuse. "Just still sleepy I guess." I feigned laughter trying to hide my nervousness.

"Well, we'll run the rest of the way then to wake you up. Come on, Maleficent's waiting." And with that we raced to the grand hall.

xxx

When we reached the grand hall, Riku was too busy boasting about him winning the race to notice that there was no Maleficent waiting there for us. I ignored him and kept my defenses up. My nerves at an all time high today, not ready for what was in store.

Riku suddenly examined the room, and his eyes turned towards the middle hall. "Looks like were not training here today." He walked towards the lifts and motioned for me to follow. A small shadow heartless was waiting for us at the front of the hall. Twitching its way down towards the middle lift.

Riku and I looked at each other raising our brows and I chuckled. "Lead the way." I spoke to the shadow.

After a few trips on the lifts and walking down a narrow hall, we ended up in a dark room with a pedestal at the back of it. Which looked like a doorway, only there was no door. And then on the right was another hall, leading to probably another room.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at the small shadow. "You sure you know where you're going little guy." It looked up at us with its yellow, beady eyes and...nodded? Riku and I looked at each other again and shrugged, moving closer to the center of the room.

As we approached the pedestal, a murky green glow formed around the wall, creating a doorway. The small heartless had vanished, no longer there to show us the way. I guess there was where our training would be. I was uncertain if we should cross through the door. Who knows what was there waiting for us on the other side?

Riku looked over at me and then back to the door, and began walking towards it. I wanted to grab his hand, mostly out of fear, but also because I didn't want us getting separated when we walked through. I kept my hands at my side though, and stood tall as I followed him into the green portal.

xxx

The room we wound up in was round, and all along the walls were broken windows and large vines surrounding us. I scanned the room, no exit seemed to exist. There was also another odd thing about this, aside from Riku and I, it was empty.

"Hello? Maleficent?" I called out, looking around. My voiced echoed throughout the room, bouncing off of the walls. My attention went back over to Riku confused.

Just then, the ground shook. "Woah!" I shouted, falling to my knees. Riku stayed standing, but wobbled. A pool of darkness took over the entire floor. And from it, a creature started to come forth. I looked at the darkness running over my hands, then looked up as I saw Riku standing in front of me.

"Ami, get up!" He yelled as I stood quickly. Riku got into a battle stance and summoned forth Soul Eater, brandishing it over his shoulder. He turned his head towards me. "Get ready."

Right, time to summon a weapon! As Riku stood in front of me protectively, I closed my eyes and focused, channeling the darkness through me. I felt it go through my body, and surge forward.

"Ami." Riku called, I felt the heartless grow closer out of the pool of darkness, I was running out of time. I focused all my darkness, I needed this to work. To protect myself, to find Kairi and Sora and to prove myself.

"Ami!" Riku yelled back at me again, louder this time. The room shuddered and shook at the force of the heartless. I couldn't let the darkness take my heart, I wouldn't. And even if it filled my body, there would still be light right? I thought of Riku, and how he had said that he thought of protecting me when he summoned his blade for the first time. Did he think of that this time as well?

"AMI!" Riku bellowed out. I thought of protecting him, and the warm thought joined together with the darkness. With my hands held out, I completely opened my heart to the darkness.

I was surprised when I felt a heavy force appear in my hand, I opened my eyes to a large, metal shield now in my hands, its familiar intricate designs of locks engraved along the edges with a crown in the middle. I swung it in front of Riku, just when the heartless struck its claws down in front of us. Riku, eyes wide, looked back at me. I ran up next to him, picking up the shield from the ground where it landed.

Getting a good look at it I was shocked to notice that this shield...was the one that arrived with me on Destiny Islands.

"Isn't that...?" Riku pointed, I nodded at him, paying more attention to the creature approaching us. We had bigger things to worry about, right now. Like the gigantic heartless towering above us. It had a hollowed out center in the shape of a heart, and massive claws that could lift up this entire castle. I gulped, tightening my grip on the shield.

**"Darkside." **A whisper echoed through my head. _Is that what this thing is called?_

"You ready?" Riku asked, pointing his keyblade at the mega-heartless. I smirked, throwing my shield over my back.

"Born ready." Together, weapons in hand, we ran at the dark-side.

xxx


	4. Sinister Sundown

To everyone reading, reviewing and fav-ing, a big thank you! I really appreciate it. Just a heads up, while I am writing this story, I'll also be going back and editing/patching up 'Their Final Words'. I was debating on just deleting it, it was one of the first stories I had published on this site in 2006, but after reading the reviews and the sense of nostalgia I decided that I should bring it back to life with a new makeover.

Fun fact: This story was actually something I had also written way back when, hence why we're in the Kingdom Hearts 1 storyline. (I'll probably stray from the storyline a bit, and I hope that doesn't bother anyone too much.) But when I decided to log back into this site recently and gasped at my god-awful fourteen year old writing I had to make amends, so to speak. So I hope you enjoy and reminiscence with me.

Another fact: Jeez, it took me a liiiiiiiiiitle too long to update, I apologize for disappearing! But I'm back! I promise to never vanish like that again!

* * *

Sinister Sundown  


You would think, after this recent week with the darkness and heartless, that running headfirst into one wasn't on the top of my to-do list. But here I was, shield drawn, sprinting towards a colossal heartless with Riku by my side. I skidded to a stop right before reaching its massive legs and held my shield with two hands. I threw it with all my might like a boomerang towards the darkside, and watched as it smacked across its face and headed back down towards me.

"Woah! Did you see that?!" I cheered looking over at Riku with a smirk full of pride, but quickly noticed he was busy fighting the small shadows currently surrounding him. A loud rumble shook the room and Riku and I both faced the heartless, apparently getting a shield thrown into your face was something to be upset about.

"Look, now you're just pissing it off." Riku called to me sarcastically. The darkside raised its claws and then threw them back down towards the ground, and towards us. "Move!" In a split second Riku was now in front of me, pushing me back behind the vines crawling up the walls. The sheer force of its mammoth like claws hitting the ground was enough to feel like an earthquake. The force caused a gust of wind to sweep through the room.

_How are we supposed to defeat something the size of a skyscraper?! _I thought to myself.

Dark pools surrounded its hand. When they surfaced back up from them, it was carrying small, glowing orbs. I emerged from the vines cautiously, staring curiously at them. The darkside brought its hands back to its chest as the orbs started to fall around all around the room, as if it were raining darkness.

I turned back to Riku, and watched as an orb got closer to him, blade in hand he blocked it. But upon contact the orb expanded and exploded.

"Augh!" He exclaimed, face twisting in pain as he backed away. "Ami, stay away from those!" He called, but I was one step ahead. Jumping in front of him I held my shield above us, hoping it would block the orbs better than Riku's blade. I really didn't know why, or how, but when I stood in front of Riku and held the shield high above, a dark force field appeared engulfing us both and protecting us from the attack. My head began to feel dizzy and clouded as I felt my heart grow heavy with darkness when the force field was summoned. I staggered and clutched my chest with one hand.

But when I felt Riku grip my shoulders in awe, the force field doubled in size, growing stronger and stronger and forcing me to rely on more darkness. It coursed through my heart and body, but for a moment I also felt another presence of darkness in my heart. A warm, yet foreign and powerful presence surging forward and combining with mine to make a powerful combination.

"You ready?" Riku asked in my ear, causing me to almost jump out of my skin. Tendrils of darkness surrounded us, small shadows scratching at the surface of the shield, and the darkside was waiting for us to leave our defensive position. When I nodded I felt Riku grip my shoulders hard, and together we pushed the force field out, but as it grew so did our darkness.

We both yelled and watched in amazement as the force field formed into a giant orb, with a mixture of electricity and darkness, eliminating all in its wake as it filled the room and shot straight for the darkside. Exploding in it's face, Riku and I watched as the heartless staggered back.

"Let's finish this!" Riku yelled. We sprinted up the vines on opposite sides of the wall and climbed and climbed till we both reached the darkside's face.

"NOW!" Our screams combined and together we lunged from the vines with weapons drawn. Shield and blade collided with the heartless violently. A bright light suddenly filled the room as I felt my weapon crash into the darkside, blinding me. I felt a weightlessness as the giant heartless started to vanish. My feet landed on what must have been its arm slowly deteriorating. Without a moment to spare, I jumped towards the vines attached to the wall. Reaching my fingers out, I grabbed for a stray branch.

My eyes peeked towards solid ground and I noticed I was hanging at a height far too much to fall from. My hands held on for dear life. I turned my attention to watch the darkside sink back into the darkness covering the floor. At the realization that the heartless was defeated, and the floor now being a pool of darkness, I frantically scanned the room for Riku, searching for any sign of him.

"Ami, let go. It'll be alright. Trust the darkness." A voice vibrated against the walls. It didn't sound at all like Riku's, and I still couldn't see him anywhere in the room as the darkness was slowly creeping up the vines. The grip I had was quickly loosening and panic raced through my mind of letting go and falling. Would I hit the floor, or sink into the darkness? With both outcomes looking pretty undesirable, I defied the voice and struggled to hold on.

"Ami..." The voice cooed, as if a parent trying to coax their child.

"I...I can't." I mumbled, scared of what would happen, scared of the threatening darkness underneath. Keeping one hand holding onto the vine, I reached the other out to pull myself up. But with no strength left in my body, I let out a small gasp as my hand slipped and my body plummeted into the dark.

xxx

I felt a cool, comforting breeze graze my skin, as if beckoning me to relax and stay put.

"Look around you my child, see that there is nothing here but eternal darkness. Feel it's comfort as there is nothing here to hurt you." The same voice was back, the one from the Islands and also the library, but as my eyes looked around the area I saw no one. It was right, I searched and searched but the black smog went on for what seemed like forever.

"You are safe here, if you remain. Stay, and let the darkness shroud you." I watched as my body was slowly covered with dark tendrils wrapping around my skin. As if in a daze, the room began to seem hazy, and my arms wouldn't respond in shaking off the darkness. The voice was right, I could stay here...if I wanted. Suddenly becoming very sleepy, I relaxed and looked towards the blackened sky.

"Let the darkness take control." The voice commanded. It's omnipotent call was offering no refusal. "Stay here and you will never have to worry. I offer you power and eternity." It all sounded so promising...

**"Ami. Are you taking a nap _here _of all places?" **A familiar laugh broke through the darkness. I covered my eyes as a bright light shone through. Slowly I sat up and when I dropped my hands to get a look at the figure, I saw spiked brown hair and an all too familiar grin.

"Sora?" I gasped, clumsily standing up I reached my hand out for him, he was right there! But the image of my childhood friend didn't seem tangible as I fell right through him. He only smiled and put his hands behind his head.

**"Taking a nap while I search for you, Kairi and Riku, huh?" **

"Sora...Sora where are you?!" I called out to him desperately as I reached for him. What was he doing here in the darkness? And...when did his image get so far away? I began to run towards him with my hand outstretched. But the image of him was fading fast.

**"This doesn't seem like the best place to rest, Ami. You have to wake up."**

Wake up? I thought to myself. I began to call to Sora but saw that there was only a glimmer of his figure left.

"Wait!" I pleaded, sprinting forward. By the time I reached him he was gone, and left in his wake was a small black book with gold trim and a lock holding the binding together. Cautiously I picked it up, my hands shaking from the anticipation. I held it so tightly that not even Maleficent herself could rip it from my grasp. The book felt warm and inviting in my hands. I traced my fingers over the spine and grazed the lock. Timidly, I tried to ease the book open, but the lock would not budge.

"You've been haunting me for nights and now that I have you, you won't open?!" I yelled at the object. Temper flared, I began to pull and shake the binding. "Just tell me, tell me what I need to know!" I screamed. My whole body was engulfed in a green aura and my heart felt heavy. Still the book remained silent and closed. I held it close to my chest. "Please, I need to know what's hidden in this book." I begged.

"Ami?" It was Riku's voice that now called out to me, though no image of him appeared as my eyes searched the room wildly. Just as I was about to call out to him, the binding of the book loosened and opened, revealing a bright light causing me to jump and let go of my newest prized possession. I gasped and shielded my eyes, wincing in pain as I heard the book crash against the floor.

xxx

"Ami?" My eyes fluttered opened, when they came into focus I saw a familiar stained painted ceiling and quickly sat up. My eyes moved from the ceiling to follow the vines that covered the walls, the structure was battered and some panels were missing. Wallpaper was ripped in most places and some of the foundation laid against the floor. Had I been out this entire time since the battle ended? How long had it been? I then realized that something was no longer in my hands.

"The book!" I exclaimed frightened, a part of me felt like it was missing. I scanned the floor until I felt a hand placed on my shoulder. My face turned to meet Riku's; his expression a mixture of concern, fear and yet the faintest glimpse of disappointment.

"Are you alright? You fell from pretty high up." Riku grasped my arm and helped me to stand. "I sent the darkness to catch you," Riku scratched his head sheepishly. "But I wasn't fast enough to really break the fall, you were out for a few minutes. Sorry."

My ears didn't seem to be really listening to what Riku was saying, I couldn't focus on him just yet, my eyes still frantically searching the room for my newfound possession. It wasn't until a menacing portal of darkness and even more frightening figure stepped through and into the room that I was fully attentive.

We both immediately stood tall and alert while facing the witch that had taken post in front of us. With a stern look on her face and one hand messaging the orb atop her sphere, she sighed. She did not look entirely pleased nor happy with the two of us.

"Look at the mess you've made of my tower hall." She whined. We remained silent, a tense buzz filled the air around us. She walked towards us slowly, each step piercing my heart like a knife. "However, I am somewhat pleased at the...progress. Little as it may be."

I was engulfed with rage at her statement. My whole body began to shake and I wanted to run at Maleficent, scream at her. _"Did you not see what we just defeated?! Did you not see me use the power you gave me to bring forth my weapon?!" _But I remained silent, I bit hard on my tongue until I tasted the metallic flavor of blood. My hands were shaking and I gripped my shirt tightly to try and calm them. This was not like me at all, and the slow realization of this change frightened me.

It was Riku's silky voice that brought me calmness. "Maleficent, I think Ami did a much better job, she kept up with me fairly well." He sent a wink of reassurance my way, to which I did not reply.

Bitterness filled me, _"Fairly well?" I_ would not be second best, nor would I admit failure today.

"Silence!" Maleficent bellowed, her voice shook the room, and caused me to tremble even more. "I will decided whether or not todays training was _successful._" Her eyes looked my figure up and down. "Though you managed to call upon a weapon, and fought _halfheartedly, _you fainting during battle will only be problematic to me if I send you out to other worlds." Maleficent turned her back on us and began to walk towards a summoned portal. But...If I couldn't go with Riku to other worlds, how would I find Kairi and Sora?! What would happen to me here alone in Hollow Bastion? I cringed at the thought.

"Hold on just a minute!" I ordered, immediately clamping my mouth shut after Maleficent turned sharply with a look of disgust.

"You dare speak to me that way?!" Her shrill voice caused panic to overtake my heart, but still I would stand my ground. Riku rushed between both of us.

"Maleficent, please excuse her. It's just that Ami's been trying her hardest to prove herself to you." Riku's eyes shifted from Maleficent to myself. "And she's been determined to provide herself to serving you." _Isn't that right, Ami? _His look seemed to ask. _Just play along. _Riku's eyes begged.

I begrudgingly bowed my head. "He's right." I said flatly. "I just...need more time." I whispered.

Maleficent lowered her staff and placed a finger to her chin. "Time is something we do not have my child." She pursed her lips and paused. "However, I will bestow upon you a gift. It will make you stronger, you will be...slightly more useful to me."

My eyes fell to the floor in embarrassment as I weighed the decision. Submit to more of this power Maleficent offered? I could feel a part of me screaming to say no, but it was drowned out by the competitive side daring to become stronger, to become equal to Riku.

"And since I am feeling generous, I will bestow this gift upon the both of you." She raised her staff and my body felt heavier with darkness, it covered me like a blanket. I felt my heart cry out, but these calls were ignored to those for power and I leaned into the aura engulfing my body. I would be fit to complete Maleficent's tasks _and _find Sora and Kairi. That's a promise to myself that I would never break.

"Do not take this gift for granted, I am _rarely _this generous." Maleficent smirked, slightly more pleased now than before. "I have changed my mind." She spoke slowly. "My children, I will be sending you to worlds of my choice to scout starting tomorrow. I want to know all that there is to know about these worlds. Ami, you will report back to me on your findings, and Riku...you will come with me to discuss the rest. This is the end of our discussion here as a group." And with that, Maleficent sauntered through a portal that swiftly opened behind her, while Riku lingered back for a moment. My mouth was agape and fists clenched. What separated me from Riku? That he had an easier time accepting this power? And though he was clearly becoming Maleficent's favorite, why did this bother me in the first place? Weren't we both here to just complete the tasks and then be on our way to finding Kairi and Sora? I slowly realized that we were losing control here at Hollow Bastion.

_When did we begin to sink so deep into the dark? _I thought.

I shook my head and took a deep breath to clear my thoughts, I would just have to become stronger and put us back on track. I could just as well submit to the darkness and control it, I would make sure of it. Suddenly I felt Riku's gaze on me, I knew he would try and coax me to look up at him, but I couldn't meet his eyes. I crossed my arms and focused on broken tile on the ground. I refused to be left behind, to be second best.

"Just go. She won't be happy you kept her waiting." And with that I heard the harsh footsteps of Riku following after Maleficent, leaving me to take the frustration and anger out on the area around me.

xxx

After finally returning to my room and cleaning up, I decided to wait a while before talking with Riku. Still feeling bitter about today, I couldn't face him just yet. Maybe later on, I'd have to try to talk to him about my worries over the darkness taking control. I could already feel such a change in myself. I made a mental note that I'd also have to ask about what Maleficent had told him in private, I'm also very nosy, another key weakness I don't like to admit, but we sure do have a lot to catch up on already.

Feeling restless I opened the door and tip-toed out into the hall, it was well late into the evening now and I didn't want anyone following me to where I was headed. After racing down a few halls and climbing down some staircases I finally reached my destination; the library.

It was the only place in this castle that offered me refuge; a small haven. This place and mine and Riku's spot at the peak of the castle that is.

I carefully opened the large framed doors that held an infinite amount of knowledge locked away, and my mysterious book for example. _Wait, when did I decide it was mine?_ I shrugged to myself, it just...felt right to call it my own. After aimlessly walking down the numerous shelves of bookcases I stopped at what seemed like a familiar spot. To my left was the small coffee table under the stairs by the gorgeous stained glass windows. The stars shined against the glass illuminating the floor with a multitude of colors. I mused at the fact that even though this castle felt filled with darkness, light still seemed to shine through in certain places.

My fingers traced along the books that filled the shelves until I felt the same warmth from before. My hand stopped when I caught sight of a bright, golden trim. Filled with a thirst for the secrets held inside, I quickly ripped it from its space and held it out in front of me. Trembling, I was too afraid to try and open it, for fear it would remain locked tight. Minutes passed as I merely stared at the cover in anticipation.

Suddenly, I felt a gaze fall upon me. A shiver ran up my spine as I intuitively knew I was being watched. I looked around the room and hugged my body to the bookshelf in fear of the robed man, or worse, Maleficent. Searching the room it seemed that there was no one around.

"Strange." I whispered. "I could've sworn...Augh!" As I took a step towards the exit I came face to face with a gauntly, armor clad heartless. I swear its beady, yellow eyes hauntingly saw right through me. It twitched in a grotesque manner and swayed slightly. But just simply stood in place watching me, its eyes met with the stolen book in my possession.

I placed a hand over my heart to calm the frayed nerves, _just a soldier, _I thought to myself in relief. Seeing as it wasn't moving to attack, I waved a free hand in front of its face. "Hello? Hollow Bastion to Heartless?" Still nothing. "Shoo." I commanded, but it did not budge. Gaining some confidence I simply held the book tightly and waltzed passed. Once clear from the heartless I reached for the door. I turned and gave it one last glance before exiting the library, noticing its gaze never once left the book.

Instead of walking all the way back to my room, I figured that now was a good time to practice forming a portal. If Maleficent saw that I could create one, and be able to use them to travel to other worlds, then maybe she'd let me in on more of her secrets. I took a deep breath, focused on my bedroom, and held my hand out.

A few seconds went by, then minutes. The grand hall remained silent, no portal appeared in front of mr to welcome mr into the darkness. I sighed in annoyance and placed a hand on my hip. _How did Riku manage to create one?_ I asked myself begrudgingly. Again she stood, focusing intently on my destination and summoning the dark power in my heart.

I kept my eyes closed and focused on my breathing. Another few minutes passed, then I jumped in surprise at the sudden familiar sound.

_Whoosh._

Appearing before me was a portal. Tendrils of darkness seeped through, inviting me to step inside. Astonished and proud, I jumped in victory. "Yes!" I cheered. But when I stepped forward towards the portal I realized a sudden problem.

The portal was just large enough for a shadow to fit through.

I smacked my hand against my forehead in annoyance. Kneeling down, I put the book on the ground next to me, and placed my hands on the top and bottom of the portal and began to pull. "Is this a cruel joke?" I asked the empty room. I managed to pull the portal open wider enough for me to squeeze through. While kneeling in front of the portal, ready to jump in, I felt a sudden sense of hesitation lurch forward, and nervousness in the pit of my stomach. Would this really take me where I wanted to go? What if I messed up and got stuck in the darkness?

I was distracted, weighing the pros and cons of my decision, when I heard a sudden twitch from behind. Quickly, I turned my head and placed my arms up defensively coming face to face with a Soldier. Frightened, I fell back, now sitting on the floor in front of the portal.

_"Stuck between a rock and a hard place." _I mused. The heartless' eyes didn't even glance my way, but stayed focused intently on the book left by my side. I shifted my look from the heartless to the book and back. "What is it?" I asked inquisitively. Confusion wracked my brain. _"Is this the same heartless from the library? It's like it's following me?"_ I thought to myself. _"Odd." _

I figured the heartless needed to be commanded, and couldn't think on their own. I was positive they couldn't act on their own accord, only to fetch hearts and that was it. They needed a leader, right? And that seemed to be Maleficent. I gasped, _"Does she know? Did she send this heartless to keep me from getting the book?" _Paranoid, I slowly reached over for the book while watching the Solider, testing the waters to see if it would make a move. From my position, the heartless towered over me, I didn't have a clean way of attacking, but could maybe defend myself if it jumped at me.

Though I don't know if I would be able to summon my shield, having only done it once before.

_"Man, this really sucks."_ I thought.

With my hand hovering over the book ready to grab it, I noticed in a split second the Soldier blinked, in a fury it raised its claws and lunged straight for my heart, finally switching focus from the book to me. As it jumped at me I felt a sudden pull on my heart, like it was being yanked from my chest.

_"No!" _I screamed in my head, as my voice was caught in my throat.

I felt the portal behind me suddenly open wider, the dark smog flowing out and wrapping itself around me. As the Solider brought its claws down on me the only option was to fall backwards into the portal, and so I did. I closed my eyes and prayed that I would pass right through to my room.

I suddenly felt a sharp grip on my leg and yelled in anguish, the Soldier had struck its claws into my calf in an attempt to hold on, plunging with me into the darkness. "Let go!" I yelled hitting the heartless mid-fall with my only weapon available; the book I clung to so desperately. The Soldier only tightened its hold on me in response.

I could barely breathe, the air was constricting and I couldn't see anything but pure darkness. After about a minute or two of free fall I turned to look down, another portal had opened below. I could faintly see the purple curtains blowing from the wind. _"My room!"_ I cheered. I twisted my body, Soldier included, so that I would fall forward and, if lucky, feet first. Maybe landing on the heartless would break my fall, or so I had hoped. I placed an arm over my face and held the book close to my chest with the other. _"Here goes nothing." _I thought as I felt my body pass through the portal. I felt the cool air from the window and let out a deep breath.

I hit the ground before I could even open my eyes, feeling my legs tangled with a body I figured was the Soldier, only my head landed on something soft as well. Realizing the heartless was not that tall I quickly opened my eyes and rubbed my head to feel what I landed on. I gasped and retracted my arm when I felt what I realized was...someone's chest?

"Augh, jeez Ami, you ever consider using the door?" The familiar voice sent a blush to my face as I noticed just who I had landed on. I leapt up onto my hands and knees.

"Riku, I am _so_ sorry!" I apologized in utter embarrassment, placing a hand on his shoulder as he sat up. "Wait...what are you doing in my room?" I questioned looking around.

Riku scoffed in response."Your room? I think you may have lost your way in that portal."

After seeing it was in fact his room and that he was alright I let out a hearty laugh, "Well maybe I just felt like _dropping in _for a chat."

Riku shook his head and smirked. "Well next time watch where you land, huh?" He brushed off his shirt and put his hand out to help me up, but upon looking down at me his expression turned to concern and he quickly brought forth Soul Eater. "Ami, move!" He yelled pointing to my leg.

"Aw, damn! You're still there?" I suddenly felt the pain in my calf return and realized the Soldier was still there clinging tightly, eyes focused at the middle of the room. The heartless finally let go and made a dash for the book that landed behind me.

"Riku! Don't let him reach that!" I turned and jumped towards the Soldier that now held the book in its claws. I grabbed the other end of the book and a game of tug-of-war gone wrong ensued. Riku cocked his head to the side in total confusion, but held Soul Eater over the heartless ready to strike.

"Would you stop throwing it around so I can get rid of it?" Riku called.

I pulled the book forward causing the Soldier to fall forward towards me and in front of the lock on the book's cover.

Suddenly, with Riku's blade aimed at the heartless, an aura of darkness shot out towards it. In the last minute the heartless vanished into another portal, and the blast hit the lock of the book instead.

"Ah!" I cried as the book was covered in darkness and burned my hands. I quickly dropped it, watching as the lock vanished and the book tore open, the pages ripping out and flying around the room. The aura quickly spread and covered the floor and walls. I reached for the book but was held back by a strong set of hands.

"Don't go near that!" Riku commanded, holding me still.

"Let go of me! I need that book!" I screeched, my expression wild and hands shaking. Riku only held me tighter.

"Ami, what's going on?!" He asked, confusion written all over his face. "What is that?" He called over the gust of wind that blew through the window, shattering the glass.

It was as if a storm had been unleashed in the room, a tornado-like funnel of darkness had spread up from the book, pulling the two of us towards it. I covered my face to shield myself from the glass. Riku's grip was still locked onto my shoulder, while his other hand was holding onto the window pane. I felt myself being pushed forward, something beckoning me to move forward.

"Riku, let go." I then repeated calmly, as if nothing were wrong.

"Are you crazy?!" He yelled, I noticed his hand was slipping. He had to let go of me, who knows what would happen to him? This was all my fault, and I didn't want Riku getting hurt from it. Suddenly the darkness got stronger and I realized he either had to let go or we'd both be sucked into the dark.

"Riku, let go! You'll be pulled in too if you don't!" He shook his head and I sighed knowing he had picked the latter and in a split second he released his grip from the window and held onto me tightly.

"I hope you know what you're doing." I called, noticing his lips move, and that he must have said something sarcastic in his response, but Riku's voice was blocked out by the wind. As we were thrown into the dark, before it all went black, I wondered if I'd ever even hear his voice again.

xxx

Riku felt the cold, harsh concrete against his face when he came to. He opened his eyes groggily and placed his hands under him to push himself up. He stood and brushed the dirt off his shirt and pants. He noticed he was standing on a solid, grey platform, but beyond that he could see tall skyscrapers and buildings. The path leading there was paved over by a metallic cement. "What in the worlds?" Was he dreaming? Suddenly he noticed something was wrong, someone, was missing.

"Ami?" He called out, noticing her absence. "Where could she be?" He put a hand to his chin and thought aloud.

"Riku!" He looked up at the sky where he had heard her voice call from, though he saw nothing but stars and the night sky. They resembled the ones that they both sat under every night at the peak of the castle.

**"So it begins, hearts connected."**

Riku looked forward and noticed a small object on the path in front of him. Curiously, he bent down and picked it up. It was a familiar silver, heart shaped locket that he had seen many times before. "This...is Ami's. How did it get here?" Instinctively he tried to open it, having seen her do so over a hundred times, but never knew what she was looking at. Riku noticed it was shut tight. The small hook holding the two-halves of the heart together was damaged. Riku placed the locket in his pocket and began walking forward towards the city. The voice seemed to be following behind him, with every step he took he felt a presence on the back of his neck, chills ran down his spine.

**"Find the shield, bound together by the worlds." **

Riku put a hand to his hip. "By shield, do you mean Ami's?"

There was no answer from the voice. Riku shrugged and continued on.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	5. Dive Into The Heart

**Summary:** After crash landing on Destiny Islands as a young girl, Ami grows up yearning to learn of the truth and a life other than the small isle she is kept on. They always say the truth will set you free, but is a past filled with darkness the truth she expected?

* * *

Dive Into The Heart

After what seemed like ages, Riku had finally reached the city. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he surveyed the area around him. There were skyscrapers that towered over him and looked as if they went all the way up to the stars above. The whole town, he noticed, was a bland shade of transparent grey; the buildings a tint of metallic. It was also falling apart. There were shattered windows and barred doors, the whole town seemed abandoned. It was as if Riku had just walked into a monochromatic nightmare.

A dark aura filled the streets, the smog choking him. It was harsh towards Riku, any chance it got it surrounded him. He coughed and put a hand up to cover his mouth. He held Soul Eater high with the other, swinging at it whenever it approached. Riku studied the area around him and noticed the buildings were slowly becoming translucent. They seemed like towering ghosts of frame work and foundation, it was as if he could walk right through them. The town surrounding him had no street lights, but seemed to be illuminated by the stars above. A few feet in front of Riku, he noticed a boy slightly older than himself. The boy was standing with his back to Riku and his head looking up towards the sky. The boy's blonde hair stood out against the harsh darkness of the sky and the light gray of the buildings. He noticed that the dark aura stayed calm by the boys feet, and did not react the same way as it continued to with Riku. He cautiously approached the boy that was standing idly by one of the entrances to a disintegrating skyscraper.

"Excuse me, have you seen a girl by any chance? She's about this tall, brunette hair, brown eyes." As Riku continued to describe Ami he noticed the boy did not even turn and glance in his direction, nor seem to notice him approaching at all. Riku walked up in front of him and waved a hand in front of his face. He was shocked to note that the boy seemed to be in a trance, standing there and nodding off. He occasionally looked to the sky, the buildings and then back to the sky. Riku saw that they boys eyes were a shade of light gray; the same as the buildings.

"Are you...alright?" He asked the boy reaching his hand forward in an attempt to shake him, to seemingly wake him from his thoughts. Before Riku could make contact though he heard the soft, yet stern voice of a girl from behind.

"Don't touch him." The voice was barely above a whisper, yet the tone was full of warning. Riku felt the same chill as he did before, goosebumps covered his arms and legs. Not that Riku was afraid or anything, especially of a girl, his cool and collected demeanor wouldn't allow him to be. But the tense feeling in the air was unsettling, as if it were the calm before a storm. He let the boy in front of him be and turned his attention to the voice from behind. Riku looked around and noticed the girl was much different from anything he had seen so far in the city. There was some color to her cheeks, and her long, wavy, raven black hair seemed to glow under the stars. Her clothes were a bright purple and white, and her body didn't seem as ghost-like as the rest of the city.

"You're not supposed to be here." The girl stood assertively and crossed her arms.

"What is this place?" Riku asked inquisitively, wondering if he was either sent to a different world from Hollow Bastion or having some insane dream. His stubbornness matched with the strange girls' standoff attitude and the two were locked in a stare down. Suddenly a flickering light from the stars caught his attention. He couldn't look away, the sky looked like it was infinite and he felt as if the stars were calling out to him. He heard the distant calls but couldn't make out the words. Was that why the boy behind him couldn't put his head down? Riku noticed from the corner of his eye that the girl started to approach him, he painfully tore his eyes down towards her and stood at a defensive stance. "Where's Ami?" He barked, becoming fully aware that this mysterious girl was not going to make this easy.

"You need to leave." She raised a bony finger and pointed towards the direction from which Riku came. "The shield stays, it is damaged."

Riku was becoming increasingly annoyed. His shoulders tensed and he brought forth Soul Eater. "I don't take orders from you, I'm not leaving here until I find Ami."

The girls eyes slanted when she saw the blade. "You brought the darkness here." She growled. "You're the reason it's damaged." Suddenly she raised her hand and a glowing light filled the space around them. Riku quickly brought a hand to his face to cover his eyes. When the light faded he saw a mighty shield had formed in her hands, much like Ami's but larger in comparison. It was decorated with golden vines circling around the border and a glowing silver orb in the center.

"You have...the same weapon as Ami?" Riku blurted out in surprise.

"It is my job to help destroy the darkness." She simply stated. "And protect the key and worlds from it."

Riku was confused with her mentioning of darkness, keys and the other worlds. He did not have much time to think it all over as the girl started to walk towards him, she was slowly starting to fade. Her cheeks were no longer flushed and her clothes were a more natural tone compared to the brighter colors they were when Riku first noticed her.

"You're...fading?" Riku raised a brow while still holding a defensive position.

The girl's eyes did not leave Riku's gaze to see what he was mentioning to. Riku had figured she noticed, but seemed intent on attacking instead. She quickly ran towards him with her shield raised, its silver orb glowing brightly.

"Reflect!" She yelled. A bright light engulfed Riku as he barely had time to react, his arms flew up in defense to cover his face. The light brought forth a gust of wind that smashed through a nearby stained glass window, the broken shards flew like a hurricane and scattered around the area.

"Augh!" Riku felt the sharp pieces scratch at his skin and he tried to hold Soul Eater close to block the larger shards. By the time the light dimmed and wind stopped, the girl was no longer standing in front of Riku. His eyes quickly scanned the town square, but saw no sign of movement. Even the boy he had seen earlier was missing from the scene. He cursed and kicked some broken glass. The girl was much too quick, and unpredictable it seemed.

_"Where did she go?!" _Riku thought to himself as he turned in every direction looking, she could have been anywhere.

_Whoosh_.

Riku turned just in time to block her shield with his Soul Eater and push the girl back. He noticed her huff and puff and lean slightly to hold herself up. _"The attack must have taken a lot out of her." _He strategically planned his next move and weighed his options. He held Soul Eater high. "Where is Ami?" He commanded. "I'm not leaving without her." He paused. "Wherever here is..." He trailed off, wondering if this stranger would ever shed light on some answers, aside from the light from her shield that is.

The girl stood tall and wiped some dirt from her clothes, again she locked eyes with Riku, a sure sign she was not going down without a fight. "This shouldn't concern you. A dark heart cannot connect with the shields'! Balance must be maintained!" The girl screamed angrily and ran towards Riku again. This time he was ready and ran towards her as well. Soul Eater and shield raised, a powerful blow was unleashed when the two collided.

xxx

"Ugh, my head." I pressed my fingers against my temple, hoping to alleviate some of the pain. Slowly I tried standing up, I held my hand out, grasping for something to lean against. My hand was met with a harsh, cold structure. I stepped forward and with my other hand, rubbed my eyes to try and clear my blurry vision. Stumbling forward my feet were met with shards of glass and wreckage.

"Riku?" I called out, suddenly noticing that I was very much alone. Looking around I also noticed that I had no idea where in the worlds I was. "What is this place?" My hand traveled along the side of the destroyed building. As far as I could see there were skyscrapers slowly decaying, walls tumbling down and shattered glass littered the streets. I had gone from one nightmare to the next it seems.

A sudden twinkling light had caught my eye coming from above. I raised my head and was left breathless at the view of the sky. "The stars. There are so many of them." The night sky seemed endless. I felt as if I were back at Hollow Bastion with Riku, looking at the sky from the peak of the castle. It had become a nightly routined that I cherished. I smiled softly thinking about our secret spot.

A soft gentle breeze caressed my skin and a sense of nostalgia filled my heart. _Have I...been here before? _I thought to myself. I felt the same sense of familiarity that I had when I first got to Hollow Bastion. But I had no recollection of either of these places.

"Ami." I heard a voice calling to me, it was soft, like a hushed whisper when sharing a secret. My eyes quickly scanned the night sky, searching to put a face to the voice.

"Yes?" I called back, "Hello? Who's out there? How do you know my name?" I walked forward, eyes still glued to the lights of the stars from above.

"Ami." This time there was more than one voice. I hurried my pace, they sounded like old friends that had been gone away for a while calling back to me.

"Yes? I'm right here, please tell me who you are!" I yelled back at the sky, hungry for answers. Again, my name was called over and over. But with each repetition, the voices grew with urgency and louder in volume.

"Please, one at a time, quiet down. Please!" I held my hands over my ears and felt panicked. "Stop, please stop calling to me!" I cried. I tore my eyes from the sky. My legs began to move faster and soon I found myself sprinting down the narrow alleys of the streets before me.

_"Ami."_ One voice broke through the rest of them. It was the one that I had heard first. A soft, hushed tone that felt like a gentle breeze. I froze in my tracks and wiped my eyes. Before me stood a boy with golden, blonde hair and eyes as grey as the buildings surrounding us. He seemed older, and his calm demeanor was inviting.

"Do I...know you?" I whispered softly to him. I don't know why, but I felt as if I had to speak quietly around his presence.

He smiled lightly, and placed his hands in his pockets. "Well, yes...and no." He whispered back.

I stared at the ground and sighed sadly. My hopes diminishing and confusion wracking my brain. "Oh." I squeaked, feeling embarrassed that I was so lost. "I feel like the more answers I search for, the more questions I'm left with." I said more to myself feeling defeated.

A sudden flash of light caught my attention and I looked back at the boy. In his hands an object had formed. It was a metallic black, with strange markings appearing along the edges. A shinning, white orb was carved into the center.

"Is that...?" I cautiously stepped forward. He was holding a shield much like mine, but albeit much larger. _How does he have one? _I thought to myself.

"You know me in your heart, but...this is our first meeting face to face, Ami." He smiled, but his smile did not last long. "I have something to show you, follow me." Before I could ask any of the questions that filled my thoughts, he turned swiftly and began walking further into the city.

I opened my mouth to speak, there were so many more questions I had now. But with the urgency in his stride, I felt that I wouldn't have any of my questions answers for some time. So I kept my head low, my voice quiet, and hurried along after the mysterious stranger.

_Riku...Where are you?_ I asked myself as we continued on.

After briskly walking halfway through the city, the boy finally came to a halt and we had arrived in what looked like to be the main square. There was an open area that seemed to at one time hold a variety of shops and stands, but now held broken down carts and decaying storefronts. I looked around and imagined what this place must have been like long before what it was now. I pictured vibrant colors and numerous people all waltzing through the streets on their daily errands and business. I pictured young children laughing and playing tag, chasing each other around the square. As I continued to daydream I also imagined Riku there with me, browsing all of the shops. I smiled as the thought made me feel warm in this barren place. I saw him there, right in front of me, I could almost reach out and grab his hand. Slowly I raised mine, wanting him to reach out to me. His usual smirk would be plastered on his face. Just as our hands were about to connect, the voice of the stranger brought me back to reality.

"We're here." He stood as still as a statue and faced onward, to the center of the square.

_But where was here? _

Instead of asking that though, I asked the one question that had been burning in the back of my mind since I got to this place, the one question I should have asked before anything else.

"Wait. I need to find my friend, Riku. Have you seen him?" But once the words left my mouth, it was the one question I almost wished hadn't been answered.

Before the mysterious boy could respond, a bright light filled the area along with a loud crash and a figure came quickly tumbling from one of the alleys into the main square. Startled, I jumped back and into a defensive position as my shield has appeared in my grasp. I squinted my eyes, trying to decipher the figure that struggled to rise from the ashes and debris surrounding it. My body tensed when the fog cleared from the aftermath and I saw a glimpse of familiar silver hair.

_Could that be?_

"Riku!" I screeched and sprinted towards the chaos. My body went into auto-pilot, and my legs had never moved so fast before as I hurled myself towards him. I ran into the fog and debris, my eyes burned from the smoke, but deep in my heart I felt compelled to get to Riku. I had to make sure he was okay. The smoke had made it so hard to see, and I began to pull and yank at the fallen structure to move it out of the way.

"Oof." I felt contact with what I assumed was Riku's jacket and yanked him up so that he was sitting. He coughed and held a hand in front of his eyes from the smoke, but I could see ash and wounds covering his face and arms. Soul Eater was thrown by his feet.

_What do I do? What do I do? _I grabbed him by the shoulders and looked around. Another figure was emerging from the direction in which Riku was thrown from. _Think quick, Ami. What can I do?! _I wracked my brain for a game plan.

Suddenly a bright light flashed and I felt a heavy weight in my hand. My shield had appeared. Its silver hue shined from the light of the stars and reflected onto the buildings surrounding us.

"Protect!" The word suddenly surged up from my throat. I clenched Riku's shoulders, closed my eyes tightly and focused my energy on summoning a force to extend beyond us.

When I opened them I was amazed to see an electrical force field around us, extending outward giving us space to stand. It was just like the one I created when Riku and I were fighting the Darkside. I noticed there were dark tendrils climbing the sides of the force field and seeping up from the ground below us.

I turned my attention to Riku, who was spitting blood from his mouth. He wiped his dusted lips against his forearm and began to stand.

"Riku, what's going on?" I stood with him, hands still attached to his shoulders. I turned my head to see the second figure had gotten much closer to us. I noticed it was a females figure, and she was holding something large in her hands.

"Interesting." I heard the boy whisper, arms crossed surveying the force field. He was extremely close to it, alarming me as Riku kept tense and very still. "He does not bear a key, yet these two hearts are connected."

Once the girl got close enough, my eyes immediately locked onto the shield she was carrying. I gripped Riku's shoulders harder. This was all too overwhelming. "Riku." My voice was barely audible. Who were these people? And why did they have shields like mine? And most importantly, _where_ werewe?

The girl remained silent, though I could see a grave anger building up inside her. The boy cocked his head to the side, his grey eyes staring intently, as if he were looking right through me.

"This changes everything." He pursed his lips, and whispered quietly. "Ami, did the book you find contain all the pages?"

"Book?" I held my head with one hand, my other not letting go of Riku. "No...they were... scattered." I shook my head.

He raised a hand to his chin. "Find them. They hold the answers in which you seek. We will be waiting here for you to return. Close by to you." He smiled lightly, walked right up to us and through the force field. He held a finger out toward my heart. "Close enough for you to call if ever you need us."

I looked past the boy to see the girl with her arms crossed, a look of detest on her face. "A lost cause." She called out.

But the boy waved her off. "Perhaps so, but I think we may give them a chance." He turned back to us. "Goodbye. For now, I hope."

The darkness, I noticed had almost completely taken over the force field. My eyes had grown heavy and I felt my grip on Riku's shoulders loosen.

"Ami!" Riku's voice was all I heard before it all went black.

xxx

"...Riku." I grumbled, eyes closed and reached for him in the darkness. I begrudgingly opened my eyes and felt the cold, hard ground against my cheek. "Ugh." I sighed. Could I wake up somewhere warm for once? I rolled over onto my back and noticed I was back in Hollow Bastion. Looking to the side of the room I saw my book laying in the center of the room, Riku's room to be exact. It's pages were indeed missing and all that remained was the binding. How did we get back here?

I sat up and looked around, a calm breeze was blowing the curtains from the windowpane and the moon shone brightly in the night sky. It seemed as if no time had passed at all. "Was that...a dream?" I asked aloud.

"If so, it was a pretty realistic one." Riku's voiced answered back. I turned suddenly to see him sitting against the wall, head leaned back and eyes closed. I noticed the scratches along his body and shuddered. The visions of earlier flashed back into my mind.

I crawled over next to him and leaned back against the wall as well, too tired to move anymore. We both stared at the book for quite some time, neither of us saying a word. I was in disbelief of what in the worlds had happened, and felt Riku shared the same thought.

After some time, I tore my eyes from the book. "Riku." I turned my head to look over at him, and noticed that he was sleeping soundly. The morning light was beginning to rise, yet I did not feel like rising with it. I guess sleep seemed like a good idea, though I hoped that if I feel asleep, I would not return to wherever in the worlds we had just come from. My body was over exhausted, my eyelids heavy, and after a few moments sleep had overtaken me as well.

while I slept, I had no dreams. There was only darkness.

* * *

I've been a ghost for a while now, and for that dear readers I apologize. Hope you are all still eager to join me in continuing with this story.


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